All modern businesses strive to create positive and friendly working environments in order to create engagement, motivation and loyalty from their employees. When employees feel valued and recognised in the workplace, they are more likely to go the extra mile. This means businesses have better performing employees and lower turnover rates. Here are 10 top tips to show appreciation to your employees, in order to get that extra 10% back from them.
1. Provide Flexible Work Options Flexibility can be one of the most appreciated forms of reward an employee can possibly offer, especially in today’s fast-paced work from home world. Offering flexible working hours, remote work opportunities, or a hybrid schedule demonstrates trust between management and employees, as well as respect towards a work life balance.
2. Give Meaningful Feedback Constructive feedback is essential for business growth, but positive feedback recognising an employee’s contribution or effort displayed on a certain project can go a long way. Whether this is via a one-to-one meeting or just an informal chat, employees love to hear positive extrinsic feedback.
3. Celebrating Milestones Celebrating both personal and professional milestones, such as work anniversaries, birthdays, or promotions adds a layer of personal appreciation. This is another easy way to make employees feel valued in many different environments and in many different ways.
4. Public Recognition Publicly acknowledging an employee’s work, either via email newsletters or on your company intranet, can have a huge impact. Recognition in front of their peers not only boosts morale, but also reinforces the behaviours and outcomes valued by the business. When employees see others being appreciated it motivates them to excel as well.
5. Surprise Treats and Gifts Surprise your employees with small tokens of appreciation such as, gift cards, snacks in the office, or personalised gifts. While the gesture doesn’t have to be extravagant, it lets employees know they are appreciated by the business. These gifts could also be tied into special occasions such as birthdays or work anniversaries.
6. Personalised Thank You Notes A simple, yet heartfelt gesture from manager to employee. This is going the extra distance truly representing the value of the support, effort or dedication shown by a team member. Not the most expensive, but definitely one of the most valuable.
7. Offer Professional Development Opportunities Investing in your employee’s growth and development is one of the most meaningful ways to show your gratitude. This will make an employee feel valued by you personally, as well as by the business. Providing resources to facilitate employee progression demonstrates that you have an interest in the employee’s future and career.
8. Employee Recognition Programs Implementing a structured employee recognition program can help turn the appreciation for employees into a company-wide, professional agenda. Such programs could include awards for specific achievements, for example employee of the month. Programs like this ensure that no good deed will go unnoticed and helps create a constant culture of recognition in the business.
9. Team Outings and Social Events Not only will this benefit the team professionally in the workplace, but it will also raise morale of employees individually. The more employees get back from the business the harder they are likely to work for you. Teambuilding events assist in everyday collaboration between members of the workforce, allowing for smoother and more efficient communication between employees.
10. Offer Wellness Programs Caring for the health and well-being of your employees is an excellent way of showing appreciation. Offering wellness programs to benefit the individual’s health, such as gym memberships, mental health resources, or stress management workshops show not only that you care about their wellbeing, but also reinforces the work life balance an employee should have. These programs can also create a sense of community within the business, therefore improving overall morale.
Showing appreciation to employees isn’t just a feel-good activity, it’s a fundamental component of building a successful and sustainable business. By acknowledging employees hard work and graft, providing opportunities for growth, and creating the right working environment will enhance engagement and decrease turnover. There is a wide multitude of ways to show gratitude to employees, without breaking the bank, or spending that little extra for the output the business will gain from the boost in motivation. When employees feel valued, they’re more likely to stay loyal, perform at their best, and contribute to the company’s overall success.