November 21, 2019 | 5 min read
5 Employee Appreciation Ideas To Boost Engagement

Stephanie

Business success starts with your people. But amid all your day-to-day responsibilities, it can be easy to forget to show your appreciation. While this can be especially true when an individual is consistently producing stellar work, this is when employee appreciation becomes even more critical.

Not only does research link employee appreciation to engagement, but worse—higher levels of turnover. In fact, 40% of employed Americans say they’d put more energy into their work if they were recognized more often and employees who don’t feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit.

As a result, it’s important to make a consistent effort to recognize your employees for a job well done. The good news is that a few simple steps can go a long way! If you need some help boosting your employee appreciation efforts, here are five easy-to-implement ideas:

Say thank you

If you are like most busy leaders, time can certainly get the best of you! While you might be feeling appreciative of an employee and are intending to recognize them, other high-priority tasks distract you from the moment. Instead of moving onto the next thing on your list, take a couple of seconds to stop and thank your employee or give them a company-wide shout out. You’ll have the chance to get back to your work, but you might not have another opportunity to recognize this accomplishment within an appropriate timeframe.

Don’t wait to give feedback until formal reviews

Today’s employees want to know that they are making an impact. If they do not understand how their role fits into larger company goals, they will likely look for opportunities elsewhere. That’s why waiting for formal performance reviews to give staff feedback on their performance and how their contributions are making a difference is a mistake. Instead, try to meet with employees one-on-one on a more regular basis. These meetings don’t necessarily need to have a formal agenda, and you should encourage employees to come to you with suggestions for the company and questions about their career. Read also: Should Performance Reviews Only Happen Once A Year? An Expert Weighs In

Give them access to more learning opportunities

Chances are that your highest performing employees feel the same pressure as you to innovate and stay up-to-date with industry trends. To recognize their efforts, you should empower these employees to learn new skills for the future as well as develop the leadership skills for career development and advancement. Some easy ways to do this include sending them to a conference, paying for them to obtain a certification, and encouraging them to work on projects with other teams at the company.

Plan a team outing

It can be easy for your employees to put their heads down and focus on the work at hand without much team interaction. Planning events and activities away from the offices is not only a great way to show employee appreciation, but it can also help build trust and relationships among your employees. This might lead staff to feel more connected to the company—leading to increased job satisfaction and morale. Read also: When Building Your Company Culture, Think Outside Of The Office

Throw surprises

Is a team performing particularly well? Did an employee land a major client? Or, is someone celebrating an important milestone like a wedding or a new baby? All these situations—albeit professional or personal—warrant celebration and giving them some sort of surprise is the perfect way to do this! From larger efforts like a party or a catered lunch to more low-key surprises like a decorated desk or a favorite treat, these are some easy ways to show staff that they are valued by the company.

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