Business Owners: 15 Simple Ways to Show Employees Appreciation

October 26, 2021

 No employee wants to feel like they are nothing more than a cogwheel, with a tedious task that would effortlessly replace them without thinking twice. They want to feel appreciated and valued in all sectors of their lives, and there is excellent proof that is specifically vital in the workplace.

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Letting your workers know that they are appreciated and valued and showing them that their job is essential will improve their productivity and morale. You will also have a high employee retention rate; therefore, employee appreciation is not something that you should take for granted.

Instead, showing appreciation should be incorporated into the company’s culture. So, whether it is an employee appreciation day or any other day at the office, rewarding your team for their excellent job is always a good idea. The following are some of the ways you can show appreciation to your employees:

Recognize your employees

You might feel like you cannot afford proper employee recognition; however, this does not have to be very expensive. People, especially your workers, are not entirely motivated by money; therefore, even the smallest gestures can mean a lot to them. So, the initial step to appreciating your staff is to actually have a feasible plan for what you want to do and when you will do it.

You don’t have to execute all the ideas you have in mind at the same time. However, try picking a handful of them that you can manage. Ensure that the suggestions you choose will have a more significant impact on your employee’s morale and productivity. Remember that some suggestions might be harder to implement than others, but they will have their own effects.

Surprise them

Has someone from your sales team landed a new big client? Or did your development team launch a brand new product without any obstacles? Celebrate their achievements in a manner that they would have never predicted, with a good surprise party. Have the office decorated, switch off the lights, and jump out a huge cake when they get to the office. Alternatively, you can decide to keep it low and give them a round of clapping as they walk into the workplace. Regardless of how you want to do it, no one hates a good surprise party; it is an excellent employee appreciation idea that will leave them blushing for days.

Have staff wellness program

A wellness program should be a part of your company’s package benefits. And when done correctly, it can be a way to incentivize your employees, give them a social support tool, privacy, and a strategy to embrace healthy habits. All wellness programs have a performance guarantee, and eventually, you will have a positive return on your investments.

Wellness programs can be implemented for many reasons; however, the moment your employees begin to communicate, engage, feel appreciated, and value, the reasons change. You will be doing the wellness programs because you loved the way they changed your workplace culture.

Your workers are obviously healthier after the program, but what is more significant is that they are happy. The best part is that wellness programs can help employees cope with work-related stress and avoid absenteeism. In addition, you can consider getting the help of chaplains to help your employees cope with any life and workplace difficulties.

Pick creative rewards

Time offs, food bonuses, and promotions are all classic rewards. Try being creative and thinking of making the rewards unique enough that it stands out as part of your workplace culture. You can have a portrait painted of the staff members who have achieved a certain number of years working for you. Let them have fun with how they are portrayed.

Take them to lunch

No one hates free lunch; apart from showing your employees that you care, you will be providing them some one-on-one time they did not have. That will also be a great chance to talk and get to know one another better. Alternatively, you can take lunch to your staff. That will be an excellent way to show them you appreciate and value their efforts in your company.

Have financial rewards

Financial rewards mean that the employees are given some monetary prizes when they do something good at work. Usually, rewards with economic value were used to say thank you as a good gesture. In fact, employees are deeply motivated by financial rewards, so consider factoring that into your budget and remember that motivated staff stays longer. You will also get to lower the costs linked to higher churn rates. Financial rewards can be in the form of gift cards and cash rewards.

Gamify gratitude

It is much easier than you might think to use a company gamification program. For example, you can have every team member have a task; for every mission accomplished, your team members will get points linked with the worth of their achieved jobs.

On the other hand, you can have your staff convert their rewards using company portals. You can have work-from-home days, vacation, scholarships, or any prize in the corporate portals.

Have career-based rewards

This is an excellent idea that will benefit both the employee and the employer. You can consider sending your staff to management training or have them pick an online class they always dreamt of taking; even though it is not related to their current role in the company, you can show your staff that you are invested in them as well as in their career.

Encourage peer-to-peer recognition

Peer-to-peer recognition is vital for various reasons and motivates your staff to feel appreciated and valued. Peer-to-peer recognition is when your employees in similar teams or sections get to praise one another for a job well done. This could be for a job done well or motivate each other using random constructive feedback. This will eventually encourage them to do better for the next job or project.

It is vital to note that peer-to-peer recognition can significantly strengthen team confidence and keep your employees happy. During this time of the pandemic, many changes have taken place in your workplace. Also, relationships have become harder to sustain. Therefore, peer-to-peer recognition can help increase staff self-confidence by allowing your employees to extend a word of encouragement, support, and appreciation to one another daily.

Just say thank you

Employees can value monetary rewards and paid items; however, workers also appreciate thank you more than money and gift cards in person. You can have a handwritten thank you note and give the employee you want to reward in front of all the others. Never hesitate to recognize a job well done; remember that the faster you do that, the more your employees will know how essential it is.

You can also try face-to-face recognition, where you meet the employee in person and set up a one-on-one to show your gratitude.

Personalized gifts

Everyone loves customized gifts; therefore, show your employees that you value and appreciate them by giving gifts that show their distinct interests. The gift you pick does not have to be pricey; personalization is the crucial thing here.

Send something over to the families

Nowadays, employees are spending most of their time with their families. Besides, the support they get from their family is the main contributor to their success at work. Have some flowers, treats, and games mailed directly to the family. This will allow the family to celebrate the job done by your employees and appreciate them too.

Have your employees pick a special project

Appreciations are not always about rewards, and it is definitely not a game. Instead, it should be built into your corporate culture. And one of the best ways to do that is by giving your staff the liberty to pick special projects.

It might seem strange to give your employees more work; however, according to various research, employees tend to have an enhanced sense of responsibility when participating in a special project. Therefore, have your employees pick or establish a project they love; this project must be of significance to the employees and your company.

Have them on your website

Take a look at your business website, is it bragging about top-level employees? Are there any employees of the site? Ask yourself if there is any chance for your clients to get to know your staff more. And while it might be reasonable to put your entire company employees on your website, it is advisable to put just a fair amount of them and let them write their biographies. This will make them feel valued and appreciated.

Have them lead the company for some days

An excellent way to show that you appreciate and trust your employees is to let them run the business for some days. Let them take the title of Boss, lead meetings, make vital business choices, and sit on executive sessions. This will make them feel empowered and feel more ownership in the business’s success after the days are over.

Summing Up

Employee appreciation does not have to be set aside for one day; instead, it should be an integral part of your company’s culture. It should also be an all-time round attitude that you embrace. Employee recognition and appreciation is an excellent way to keep your employees happy, boost their morale, and improve productivity.

*contributed post*

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