Workforce Management Featured Article
5 Ways to Show You Are Appreciative of Your Employees
Showing an appreciation for your employees can go a long way in helping your company succeed. For starters, it can create more cohesiveness in the work environment and encourage employees to stay with your company longer. But certain gestures of appreciation have more lasting effects. And in the business world, it's best to tie these appreciative gestures or rewards with certain performance standards. That said, following are five ways you can demonstrate an appreciation for your employees and some of the benefits you can derive from it.
Simple Praise
It costs you nothing to tell an employee "nice job" on a project or thank him for extra effort. This can motivate the employee to work harder. When you compliment an employee, do it in private, not in the company of his peers. And don't overdo the compliments at the expense of other workers. Otherwise, they may resent you or the individual you praise. If you're department deserves praise, compliment the entire group. Tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. Consistent praise can also mollify any criticisms you bestow with respect to disciplines or performance reviews. But when criticizing an employee or your department, preface it by saying you know they can do better. That will better alleviate any harsh feelings.
Offer Time Off/Flexible Hours
When workers go the extra mile and excel at their jobs, you can reward them with time off as an act of appreciation. For example, if your department completes a huge project before a crucial deadline, reward them with a Friday afternoon off. Keep the time off limited to a half day or day so it doesn't hinder productivity. Another way to extend time off is to permit employees to leave early for doctor appointments or school events with their kids. Flexible hours can include varying arrival and departure times. This benefits those who live farther from work. Allow them to come in at 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. They can then work until 6 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. Limit the flextime to no more than an hour or two so you cover the main business hours. Another perk to show you have employee recognition awards is to allow them to telecommute at times. Allowing employees to telecommute demonstrates your trust in their abilities. Offering time off or flexible hours can increase employees' job satisfaction.
Encourage Employees' Growth
One of the best ways to reward employees is to encourage their growth. Self-actualization, which includes personal growth and fulfillment, is at the pinnacle of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, according to Harvard Business Review, which means it's importance transcends physiological and safety needs of people. Personal growth can include allowing employees to take computer classes to perform their jobs better, or supporting their ambitions to pursue advanced degrees. An MBA, for example, may enable a dedicated employee the chance to get into management or move higher up the corporate ladder. This type of appreciation can help you reduce churn in your organization. At the same time, occasional employee promotions provides you a pool of talented workers who can later help run the company.
More Challenging Assignments
Your best employees aren't usually complacent working on the same projects every day. This routine can get boring. It also stifles progression. And when employees get bored, they may start searching for other jobs that are more rewarding. One way to rectify this situation is to give employees more challenging assignments. Start by giving them additional tasks that they must complete by specific deadlines. Once they demonstrate their competence in completing projects on time, assign them more tasks. Better yet, allow them to run several projects on their own while holding them accountable for results. This type of reward both motivates and increases productivity. It also frees you up to work on more promotional or strategic assignments. For those employees who prefer being micromanaged, keep the additional tasks more simplified. Spell out want you want them to do but praise them along with the others.
Schedule Fun Activities
Scheduling events outside the office is a great way to show appreciation of your employees. Some examples are picnics, trips to major league baseball games or theme parks, field trips to historical sites or lunches at nice restaurants. The key to rewarding employees with extracurricular events is to tie them to your group's performance. In most companies, employees work in cross-functional teams to complete projects. However, departments are often involved in meeting deadlines with marketing campaigns or new product introductions. In either case, reward your employees with outside activities for certain accomplishments. Celebrate your successes together. This can increase productivity, motivate employees to achieve goals and enhance the rapport among employees or departments.
Start implementing some of these suggestions and see for yourself how employees respond. Their sense of feeling appreciated can work wonders on your bottom line.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi