Friday, March 5, 2021, is the official next Employee Appreciation Day but is it? Every day should be employee appreciation day because your employees are your firm’s biggest asset.
Below are a few ways to show your gratitude to a staff that goes above-and-beyond and surprise your well-deserved team with a great gift that will last all year round:
Create an Environment of Praise & Thankfulness
One of the most modest ways to show your appreciation is simply just to say it – and it’s really just as easy as it sounds. The best work places have an open policy when it comes to employee recognition and thanks giving. Whether it’s through an Employee of the Month program or a simply a personal email from a supervisor signing praises of a staff member sent to the entire office, it’s the small gestures that can be the kindest. One of the most memorable employee recognition tactics we’ve seen is “High-Five Fridays”; in which each week staff would send a virtual high-five to their co-workers in the form of an office-wide email, congratulating them for an accomplishment of the week, both professional and personal. It encourages team sharing, while giving your staff a pat on the back for workplace and private goals, like landing a difficult client or finishing that 5k.
Organize a Quarterly Outing or Team Building Day
Keeping regularly scheduled outings consistent not only encourages staff bonding, it’s a big part of what can keep an office running smoothly and avoid burn out. Whether it’s a team lunch outside of the office (to avoid closed-door, to-go lunches that can sometimes happen with in-house catering) or a fun team building activity or experience, getting away from the work grind once every three months makes for happy (and loyal) employees. Hit up the local bowling alley or plan an office evening to at a comedy club – any outing will demonstrate the faith and value you have in your staff.
Give Back to the Community, Together
Tying into a quarterly outing is the very important gesture of giving back to the local community together as a unified office. Instill a mandatory PTO day of community service for employees, so they can be sue their efforts are appreciated. Or, even more, create volunteer opportunities for the office that the whole office can participate in – perhaps the local food drive or the next large scale charity event. Philanthropy humanizes people and dissolves the ranks, creating an even playing field for senior leadership and staff, working toward one common goal.
Provide Out-of-the-Box Benefits
Probably one of the most requested employee recognition approaches is offering unique and unorthodox employee benefits. Perhaps it’s a weekly massage therapist, subscriptions to yoga, pilates or kickboxing classes, a work-from-home day once a week, manicures and pedicure appointments or a credit line at a local bookstore, as we’ve discussed before, a comprehensive benefits package not only retains employees, but shows them how much you care about their work-life balance and well-being. You can’t go wrong in providing additional and creative benefits, but be sure to choose the ones that align with your company culture best.