There’s no denying Covid-19 has shook the (business) world to its core. Some companies are struggling, other - mostly tech related companies - are thriving. Some companies are slowly letting a small percentage of employees back into the office, others still embrace remote working fully. Because of this strange period of time, in many businesses extra work has been done the last couple of months, whether it was to attract new customers or retain the ones that were already there. If you don’t know how you can show appreciation to your employees, we’ll gladly help you.
Many ‘old ways’ of appreciation aren’t applicable
Pre-covid, saying ‘thank you’ as an employer could be done in group. An employer could throw a big party with an open bar or gift their employees something fun - tons of companies have ping pong tables, a full gaming set-up or hot tubs. But because of the coronavirus threat, it’s not really a great idea to have employees cram into an 8-persons hot tub (Dutch: 8-persoons spa) or to throw a big bash with tens or hundreds or people in the same room. This means it’s time to get creative!
Give extra holidays days
A good incentive many employees appreciate, is extra holiday days. While obviously 2020 might not be the year to travel far and wide, if your employees have been putting in extra hours, an extra day or two might be nice to take a break. If you hope to retain your employees for a long time, you can even gift some days for 2021!
A gift with a personal touch
But don’t forget that it doesn’t always have to be a huge gift. A personal gift that shows appreciation might be loved even more. Of course it’s easier to give personal gifts with a smaller amount of employees, but e.g. a ‘thank you!’-box filled with a handwritten card, some beers, some snacks and a fun little gift always does well. You can even add gift cards of local business, like grocery stores and restaurants.
Don’t forget to say thanks
While getting gifts is lovely, don’t forget to that a well-meant thank you and public praise are also majorly appreciated by employees. Praise them during - online - presentations in front of the whole company or call employees separately to thank them for their efforts.
