Your employees work hard and deserve to be recognized for that. Read on for our top ten tips for showing employee appreciation.
Productivity in the workplace is declining, with over 70% of workers being disengaged from their jobs. This usually means they’re doing the bare minimum and don’t feel motivated to do more for the pay they get.
Aside from their salary, one of the reasons why employees are not giving their best is not feeling appreciated. Companies that don’t treat employees like individuals and only focus on work have a big turnover rate and low productivity levels.
Here are 10 great employee appreciation ideas that’ll make everyone feel like an essential part of your company.
- Praise Employees For a Job Well Done
It’s basic human psychology – people love receiving praise for a job well done. Even better if you do it publicly, in front of their peers. This is employee appreciation 101: encouraging your employees with positive reinforcement so they can be even more productive and motivated. Constant criticism never made anyone do a better job.
- Say Thank You In Person
In addition to public praise, take time to say thank you to your employees in person. This is especially important after a successful project or after signing a big client. Call everyone who was involved in your office one by one and say thank you. Explain how they contributed to the company’s success and encourage them to keep up the great work.
- Give Employees Personalized Gifts
Employee appreciation gifts are a great way to motivate people, especially if they don’t expect them. Make a list of everyone’s birthdays or other special dates and give them a personalized present. You can also give small gifts for no reason at all than to show your appreciation.
For example, if your employee has a pet, you can gift them a bed with the pet’s name on it. To those who have hobbies, give them a gift voucher for a store or pay for an experience related to the hobby. For employees who are passionate about a cause, you can donate money to a charity in their name.
- Provide Healthy Food and Snacks
A healthy workplace is a productive workplace, so make sure the fridge and pantry are always stocked with healthy snacks, drinks, and fruits. Try to accommodate different dietary preferences and have vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and kosher options.
Use a workplace meal delivery service to make sure everyone gets a healthy lunch. This will show your employees that you care about their health and wellbeing at the workplace.
- Ask Your Employees What They Need
The best way to understand how to show employee appreciation is to simply ask them for feedback. Create a company-wide poll so people can pitch their employee appreciation ideas anonymously. You can also ask them in person or have a meeting specifically for this.
When you ask people about their opinion and input, you show them you care about what they have to say. You also show them you want to improve the workplace, which is another way of expressing appreciation.
- Give Employees Opportunities for Growth
When hiring new people, one of the most important subjects is the opportunities for growth. People who have career goals will want to move up the ladder after a while. The best way to show them appreciation is to help them do that.
For instance, if you have an employee who started working at an entry-level position, but shows ambition to do more, give them a promotion. This is how you show them you believe in them and their abilities, and in turn, you’ll see great results for the company.
- Offer a Healthy and Happy Work Culture
A healthy and happy work culture means happy, engaged, and motivated employees. If people experience constant stress, mobbing, or an overall negative work culture, they won’t hesitate to look for a new job.
Work culture is not having great wellness packages and a lounge area full of games. It’s about knowing what makes people productive and motivated, having clear goals, and helping them achieve them.
- Have an Employee Appreciation Day
The first Friday in March is National Employee Appreciation Day. To celebrate, you can throw a big office party, organize an outing for the entire company, or take everyone for a nice dinner followed by a happy hour.
You can also organize a day trip, do a fun activity together, or make this day a company holiday and ask for celebration ideas. You can also have an employee appreciation day every quarter to recognize and praise your best workers.
- Recognize Employees With Awards
Awards are an effective way to recognize employees and say thank you for their hard work. You can do this on Employee Appreciation Day or you can choose one day in the month where you’ll give out the awards.
You don’t have to do anything big or pricey – even the smallest tokens of appreciation will work great. Some award ideas include:
- Software subscriptions
- Gifts and swag
- Wellness packages
- Day trips
- Donating to charity in their name
- Club memberships
- Gift cards
- Website or newsletter feature
- Care packages
- Personal recognition note from CEO
- Classes and courses
- Conference attendances
- Extra remote workdays
You can also create your own company-wide award program and let people choose what they want.
- Provide Financial Incentives
Offering financial incentives like end-of-year bonuses, birthday bonuses, salary increases, and attendance bonuses are a great way to show employee appreciation. Even better if these incentives are a surprise after a very successful project or a very successful quarter.
Bear in mind that for some employees, work satisfaction is not about the money, so don’t rely on incentives to keep them motivated.
Use These Employee Appreciation Ideas To Celebrate Their Success
Whether you have 10 or 100 employees, they all want to feel appreciated and recognized for a job well done. A simple thank you is a great start, but you can also make show employee appreciation by offering rewards, personalized gifts, and public praise.
Want more productivity and success tips? Check out the other articles we’ve written on these topics and stay tuned for the most recent industry news and updates.