Make sure your employees feel recognized and valued with an innovative employee appreciation program.
After a year of unpredictability, and with many employees working remotely, developing a strong culture of employee appreciation is important.
Employees who feel personally appreciated are more likely to be engaged and develop a stronger connection to the company.
In turn, higher overall job satisfaction leads to increased morale, higher productivity, and less turnover. A win-win situation!
A 2017 SHRM Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement report identified that respectful treatment of employees was one of the greatest contributors to employee job satisfaction. In 2016, 65% of employees indicated that respectful treatment of all employees at all levels was a very important contributor to their job satisfaction.
To give your employee appreciation program a boost, consider these 5 ideas:
- Create a tiered recognition program based on performance and seniority. Include a catalogue of rewards for your employees. Rewards can include home office products, kitchen appliances, small electronics, or company-branded merchandise.
- Recognize employee achievements with clear praise of their specific actions. You can recognize them during regular meetings or on a “wall of fame”. Consider also scheduling an annual special event to recognize major successes, employee milestones, and company achievements.
- Put your praise in writing in a one-on-one email, over a company’s social media channel, in a company-wide newsletter, or in a personalized note. A thank-you note can be a powerful, motivating message that your employees can look back on. Adding the company leaders’ own congratulations and signatures is a nice additional touch.
- Give financial incentive to your employees by offering rewards such as gift cards to local businesses and restaurants. Also consider incorporating year-end bonuses, performance-based raises, and other financial rewards.
- Reward top performers with surprise paid time off, exciting professional development opportunities, a delicious catered meal, or a fun office outing.
Keep your recognition clear and specific, so your employees know exactly what they did well. Implement a strong appreciation program and take time to consistently recognize your employees. You don’t want to lose a top performer because you failed to make them feel appreciated.
No matter what your employee appreciation program looks like, the most important thing is to recognize your employees for their contributions.
1 Comment
Couldn’t agree more!