Of the many reasons why employees leave a company, the lack of appreciation ranks among the highest in the charts. It’s such a simple thing, yet we typically don’t do enough of it. When employees feel valued, employee morale increases and productivity can go up as a result. Showing appreciation for someone is important in every aspect of your life, not just your work life. But today, we’re going to focus on 10 ways to show appreciation for your employees.
How to show appreciation for your employees:
- Food
- Comfortable Office Furniture
- Time off
- Company Events
- Shout Out box
- Share it with the world (social media)
- Company merch
- Traditional Face to Face
- Gift cards/Vouchers
- Career Growth Opportunity Classes
Food
The way to your employees’ hearts is through their stomachs. If there’s one thing all your employees have in common, it’s that they all eat food. And besides, who doesn’t love a free lunch? Providing meals or snacks for your employees is an easy and affordable way to show your appreciation for them. Another perk with food, is that the possibilities are endless so your employees will never get bored of it. Because of its affordability and flexibility, you can provide lunches weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. or do small snacks more frequently. Expert tip: Have lots of options for people with dietary restrictions. They will feel extra appreciated!
Comfortable Office Furniture
Bean bags, stand up desks, exercise balls, comfortable chairs, etc… there are so many options! Although it can be seen as pampering your employees, there have been proven health benefits for employees sitting in non-traditional office chairs. By providing these solutions, employees can decrease their risk of common workplace illnesses and injuries too.
Time Off
When people take time off, it’s usually because they’re sick, need to catch an appointment, or on vacation. The employee has to be the one to initiate the time off, but what if they were told that they can take a day off just because? As much as your employees may love to work, a day away from the office can work miracles. Let them take the day off to do whatever they want, and they’ll come back refreshed and rejuvenated.
Company Events
Putting on events for your employees is a great way to show appreciation for everyone in the company, and also creates time for employees to bond with each other. Organize small activities to spice it up so it won’t feel like a normal meeting.
Shout Out Box
Place a box somewhere centrally located in the office with some paper and pens next to it. This will be a box where employees can write about things that other employees did well, and give a shout out, a chance to be recognized. Depending on what fits your organization, read them out loud to the team at the end of the week meeting so that those employees can be recognized. For more ideas like this to boost your employees morale, check out this list from SnackNation blog.
Post on Social Media
Another way to publicly recognize how stellar your employees are is by posting on social media. Linkedin is a great place to showcase employees’ achievements and show you appreciation for them.
Company March
A lot of happy employees have company pride. They want to show off where they work, especially if its given to them for free. Instead of heading straight to the dinky pens or notepads with the company logo, show how much you appreciate them by going a step further and get them merchandise they will see some value in. Look into getting customized company polos with their names on them, or water bottles, or computer bags.
Traditional Face to Face
There’s nothing better than talking to someone face to face, and expressing gratuity to them. In this setting, employers are able to go into detail about what specifically they value in the employee. If you have an open-door policy, this can also be a great opportunity to ask the employee about any feedback and see if there’s anything on the employer’s side that could be improved. People feel appreciated when they have someone listening to them and ideas are implemented.
Gift Cards & Vouchers
Gift cards and vouchers are a great option to incorporate into your employee recognition programs. They give employees since they are given the flexibility of using the gift card how they want. Some ideas for people with families: give movie tickets out so that they can share and enjoy their achievements with their family. A sure bet to successfully picking the right gift cards would be to simply ask employees to email you their favorite stores. Make sure to have a variety, restaurants, shops, and entertainment.
Career Growth Opportunity Classes
Provide workshop classes for your employees to help further their professional careers. Some useful workshops could include: Excel training courses and leadership courses. Letting your employees take time from their daily tasks to go learn new material is not only beneficial for you, also for your company. If your company uses certain softwares, look into certifications that your employees could receive. This allows employees to show on their resumes that they are certified in working with that software.
We appreciate you
By showing your appreciation for your employees, it creates a positive atmosphere. And a positive atmosphere means more productive work. Don’t let the lack of recognition be the reason behind great employees leaving. Small gestures can mean a lot to employees, so let’s start recognizing and appreciating those rockstar employees!
