Showing your employees appreciation as a manager, team leader, or even an executive or CEO is imperative in today’s competitive job market. With the rising popularity of healthy and balanced workplace cultures, employers that prioritize their team’s well-being have become commonplace.
In order to truly maximize your employees’ productivity and efficiency, a welcoming and fulfilling work environment is a must.
With a few ideas for inspiration, you can learn how to show your employees appreciation for their loyalty and dedication to the company. Failure to reward excellent performance could result in poor employee retention.
Because training for new employees monopolizes precious time and resources, implementing employee reward programs may be a non-negotiable for your company-of-employment.
Public praise and private criticism should be your rule of thumb as an employer. With that mantra in mind, at your next company event, highlight star employees using the following.
Gift certificates
One of the most popular and economical ways to give back to your employees is to offer them gift certificates to your own company or a restaurant or movie theatre in your area. For enhanced effect, tailor these gift cards to your employees’ unique interests. For example, consider purchasing gift certificates from Perfect Feast for your next company event. Employees redeem these gift cards for grocery store items like ham, turkey, and steak—perfect for the holidays.
Regularly giving gifts to employees can boost workplace morale while making the workplace environment more laidback and pleasant for those who spend the majority of their time in the office during the week. If your employees begin to associate rewards with their place-of-employment, they’ll enjoy waking up and coming to work—potentially increasing punctuality and productivity.
Gift cards
Another option to show your employees appreciation is to give away gift cards. Gift cards to various local retailers, online stores such as Amazon, and even Visa gift cards can come in handy for any employee. If you’ve developed a personal relationship with your employees, you can even provide gift cards to the retailer of their choice. Your employees will feel heard and appreciated if you surprise them with a gift card to their favorite restaurant, coffee shop, or clothing store.
Getting to know your employees and learning more about their interests and hobbies can help you find the perfect gift card. Devoting time and effort into connecting with your employees will help your team feel a more profound sense of loyalty to the company and you as their supervisor. The more appreciation leadership shows in the workplace, the less likely it is that employees will become discouraged or disgruntled with their job, thus increasing overall workplace efficiency and productivity in return. Stepping up employee swag is a good way to acknowledge your workers’ efforts.
Coupon books
Distributing coupon books to your employees is another way to boost motivation and promote a positive work environment. If your business can partner with local companies for discounts and sales, you may notice a spike in productivity when you slip a 50% off coupon into a pamphlet. Providing coupon books with significant and relevant discounts for your employees can ultimately help them save more of their earned income for entertainment, vacations, etc. With more savings, your employees will feel well compensated for their efforts.
Raffle items
Raffling items and hosting monthly giveaways introduce an element of fun into the workplace while you enjoy quality time with your employees. These raffles also break up the monotony of the day-to-day workplace operations. Raffle items or host weekly/monthly giveaways to boost workplace morale, so your employees don’t dread their daily work routines.
If you aren’t sure where to start with a workplace raffle, consider organizing a brainstorming session or meeting to gather input from your employees. Allowing your employees to have a say in the type of prizes you intend to raffle can build anticipation and motivate everyone on-staff to participate.
When your employees have something to look forward to, they’re more likely to stay on-task throughout the day. Similarly, more active, engaged, and involved employees feel valued in the workplace and are thus more likely to feel satisfied with their jobs. Those employees who feel spoken over, ignored, or even neglected tend to look for other work—meaning your employee retention rate will suffer.
Subscription programs
Offering subscription programs as a gift to your employees is another way of showing appreciation for their commitment and dedication. Whether you choose to provide subscription services annually or a one-year subscription, you can choose between streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, or even a delivery service. Whatever you choose, be sure to base your decision on your employees’ individual wants and needs.
If possible, consider creating and executing your very own company rewards program to provide your employees with incentives as well as other motivators to increase daily productivity. Rewards programs can help to keep your employees engaged and in-tune with their jobs at all times.
Bonus cash
One way to seriously pique your employees’ interest while showing them your appreciation for all of their hard work is to implement a bonus cash incentive system. Offering cold hard cash as an incentive for employees who work overtime or complete a project within a certain deadline can be one of the greatest motivators for any employer and employee.
In summary
Taking the time to show your employees appreciation and demonstrating a genuine interest in their efforts can have a profound and significant impact on your workplace morale and productivity level. With the ability to truly listen to and connect with your employees while showing them respect and appreciation, you can create a workplace and culture that’s desirable to all.
