When you are running a business, having high-quality employees to help it run smoothly is a top priority. Once you hire employees you may assume that they will be loyal for life and do their job without any hiccups. When working in a company, we all want to be appreciated and good employees will not stick around if they feel that their work is not valued or appreciated.
As a boss or business owner, you will want to ensure that your employees feel appreciated. While there are grand things that you can do like bonuses and more vacations, there are also small gestures that can mean just as much.
1- Give Props
We all love to have reassurance once and a while and telling your employees that they are doing a good job is one way to help keep morale high and the quality of work high. When team members know that they are doing a great job or completed a task above your expectations, they are more likely to do it again.
Feeling appreciated in a company will help employees to know that they are improving the business as a whole, keeping clients and customers happy and that they have a purpose. Giving props to employees can be done in private, or during a staff meeting. Even just sending a simple email saying well done, is greatly appreciated.
2- Feed Them
Everyone loves free food. Not only will bringing in lunch or doughnuts help employees feel appreciated, but it can also help strengthen interpersonal relationships and bring a sense of community into the workplace. Use the company funds to buy lunch or bring in bagels for breakfast and let the office enjoy it all together.
3- Shout Out On Social Media
Use your company’s social media to highlight the work of your employees and show how your company operates. Sharing employees’ accomplishments on social media also gives them the opportunity to share posts with their family and friends.
Sharing on social media also may attract more employees that could work for your company. When job searching, potential candidates often look at your website and social media to get a sense of what your company is like. If they see that you frequently shout out your employees for the great work they are doing, they may be more likely to join in too.
4- Include Incentives
Talking about incentives upfront with employees can help them to have a goal to work towards. Incentives can be cash bonuses, donations to a charity, earning extra personal days, a free team-building activity, or a list of prizes they can choose from.
This is something small that employees can look forward to and benefit from their hard work. Hard work should not go unnoticed or unrewarded because if there is no purpose to work, we are not going to want to continue to push ourselves.
5- Personalized Thank You Notes
A thank you note can be a nice gesture regardless of what is included, but if you make it personal to the employee and use their name, it helps them to feel appreciated. Use their name, make it a handwritten note or choose their favorite color for the card to make it have a more personal touch. Making it personal shows that you actually put thought into the note instead of just checking it off your to-do list.
6- Extra Vacation Time
Taking breaks from work can help to improve your work-life balance and make going to work more bearable. Taking some time off can help to boost your creativity and give you a new resolve.
Gaining extra vacation time the longer employees work for you can be a great way to give incentives such as employee appreciation. Staying loyal to a company should be rewarded, so each year that an employee is with your company, they should feel like they gain a little as well.
7- Celebrate The Small Stuff
Celebrating large victories can be easier to spot and remember, but even small victories and accomplishments should be recognized. Small steps in the right direction are still helping your business to grow in a positive direction. Small victories can look like showing up every day on time, offering help to others on your team, or finishing a small project. Each victory is worth celebrating.
Hire A Business Coach
If you are wanting to improve multiple aspects of your business, our coaches at Wasatch ActionCOACH are here to help. We want to help you set smart goals, improve employee retention, and improve customer satisfaction. We offer multiple courses that can help boost your business to the next level. Our website is full of resources and videos to help you get started.
