You can sift through the web and find thousands upon thousands of articles with valuable tips on running a business. The topics will typically cover elements including customer relations, operations, and financials. However, one aspect of running a successful company you do not want to let slip through the cracks is cultivating a healthy work environment for your employees – specifically, displaying appreciation for the individuals who allow your business to run efficiently. The benefits of putting this into practice are varied and substantial. Employees feeling respected and appreciated in their place of work increases engagement, contributes to overall happiness, and decreases turnover.
National Employee Appreciation Day is March 3rd this year, so in honor of this day, we want to provide you with some ideas to help make the people in your workplace feel valued. Formed in 1995 by Bob Nelson of Workman Publishing Company, the idea started as a roll-out of his soon-to-be best-selling book “1001 Ways to Energize Employees.” Shortly after, it became a nationally recognized holiday. One of the significant principles in his book explains that employee appreciation needs to be an ongoing practice rather than a one-time event or action.
Studies show that a reported 12% of employees say they don’t feel valued for the work they contribute, while some 80% of employers report feeling that they are doing an adequate job exhibiting employee appreciation. So how do we close this gap?
Here are some effective ways to REALLY show your employees how much they mean to you.
66% OF EMPLOYEES ARE LIKELY TO LEAVE THEIR JOBS IF THEY DON’T FEEL VALUED, SO ENSURE THEY FEEL SEEN AND HEARD.
Your employee retention literally depends on how seen, valued, and heard your employees feel, according to a study conducted by Workstars. You can authentically acknowledge your employee’s needs by considering and implementing their ideas. This can take place in many forms. This can be a valuable tip that was used towards the company’s objective or utilizing a system like an anonymous suggestion box for workers to express their needs and feelings about how the office operates.
37% OF SURVEYED EMPLOYEES NOTE THEIR EMPLOYERS AND COMPANY CULTURES AS THEIR BIGGEST BARRIER TO WORK-LIFE BALANCE.
Create a space in which employees feel comfortable drawing appropriate lines between the demands of work and the demands of life. It’s ideal for employers to produce from a place of being well-rested and inspired. This may be tough when they feel that there is not enough time in their schedules to handle pressing matters that life may bring present themselves outside of the office, like their health, personal errands, and families.
Here is more information in regard to work-life balance among business professionals.
HOST AN AWARDS CEREMONY FOR YOUR TEAM.
Hosting an awards ceremony is a fantastic way to celebrate the accomplishment in your office and is a great way to get workers energized and motivated. Highlighting achievements in this type of setting is also effective because it gives your employees a chance to see the great things their peers are doing that could be otherwise unknown. We highly encourage this idea for hybrid and remote offices for this reason.
Review these statistics that prove employee recognition and retention are linked.
UTILIZE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ESTABLISH A SENSE OF CONNECTION IN THE WORKPLACE.
Speaking of offices where employees may work from home, shout-outs on social media may be a great way to tackle the dilemma of keeping office members in the loop with one another and the great things they are doing.
Here at Interior Talent, we use social media as a way to spotlight our employees and their milestones, from birthdays to professional accomplishments.
GIFT YOUR TEAM A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE.
Taking the time to organize a group outing for your workers is a solid way to show them that you care for them not only for what they can do for you but for who they are. Following a work outing outside of the office, employees get to know each other on a deeper level, they leave feeling more positive about the company, and most importantly, they start to collect valuable shared memories with one another, leaving them feeling more connected. Keep in mind, an act like this doesn’t have to burst your budget.
Click here for some ideas on team building that align with the interests of your employees.
Now that you’ve got some guidance don’t miss out on implementing some of these ideas moving forward! Implementing acts of appreciation has a trickle-down effect. Soon your other employees will soon do the same for one another, leading to a more positive work environment.