The First Friday in March is Employee Appreciation Day.
Do your employees feel valued coming into the office every morning? How sure are you?
Over time, many employees feel burned out and can become disengaged. Here are some easy ways to make every day at work feel like Employee Appreciation Day.
1. Connectivity – Connectivity is the sense that all people in the workplace are connected. A few ways to create connections and unity within a workplace are acknowledgements, group activities, team events, and traditions. When you sincerely thank someone for something, it shows that you do not take that person and their work for granted. Group activities, such as casual meetings, lunches, and other interpersonal interactions during the workday help to create a sense of belonging within the culture. Team events and traditions typically take place outside of the work environment and are more for leisure. These activities may include volunteering as a team or an annual holiday get-together.
2. Immediate Recognition – Don’t wait to recognize a job well done! When someone on the job does something worthy of a pat on the back, go one step further by rewarding them through an Employee Engagement Program. Showing appreciation immediately after a good job is extremely effective in leading to the same outcome in the future. Don’t only recognize employees on Employee Appreciation Day, because they likely will have forgotten what they did to earn the recognition.
3. Professional Development – Consider providing opportunities for employees to learn new skills related to their work in their free time using websites that offer various courses, like Lynda and Udemy. Another form of professional development is to invite employees to conferences where they have the chance to get updated on the industry.
4. Random Acts of Appreciation – There are many ways that employees can show appreciation towards one another in the office on any given day. Bringing by lunch or coffee is an easy way to show someone they are appreciated. As mentioned before, a pat on the back can make someone feel good about work they’ve done. Furthermore, a handwritten note can go a long way. Finally, if you’re a supervisor, allowing time off or the opportunity to work from home is much appreciated by an employee who has gone above and beyond.
5. Focus on Values – If your team has a mission statement, embody your company culture by living up to the mission by reminding them of core values and carrying them out. Additionally, refer to your values often when giving work assignments. This will allow employees to be more aware of what frame of mind is expected in the work they do.
Let your employees know they’re important (frequently and genuinely) in order to increase retention in the workplace with an Employee Engagement program. If they’re only getting recognized once per year, the rest of the year they may be looking for another job!