Acknowledging the hard work of your staff is key in maintaining a positive company culture and morale. After all, employees are the lifeblood of every business. There are many different ways that employers can show appreciation to their employees – some more obvious than others. In this article, we’ll discuss some strategies for expressing your gratitude to your staff.
10 ways to show gratitude and appreciation at work
1. Offer flexible hours and remote working
Flexibility is very important to most employees and can help them to maintain a healthy work/life balance. In fact, a recent survey by EY suggests that almost half of UK workers would consider looking for another job if they weren’t offered flexibility.
Flexible hours allow employees the ability to do their job effectively, without having unnecessary time constraints. Options to exercise and care for mental health needs or juggle family life via irregular working hours are valuable perks that not every workplace offers. Remote working options can cut out unnecessary commuting time and give employees valuable time back in their lives.
This can help prevent burnout and increase productivity at work. Providing flexibility around the time and location of work also signifies trust and appreciation between employers and employees. It demonstrates that you value the contribution of that team member, rather than their presence in a certain location at a specific time.
2. Share employee’s achievements on social media
Reward your staff in a public setting by posting about their great work or achievements on your company’s Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn accounts. If this doesn’t align with your social media strategy, you could also make use of work-specific social platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Convo.
HR tools like 15Five also have their own functions for rewarding staff. Making good use of these, and encouraging other employees to do the same can go a long way towards boosting morale and fostering good teamwork.
Public employee recognition is a wonderful method to express how proud you are of your staff. If you’re recognising workers on your public social media sites, it can also be helpful to include information about who they are, their job role, what they achieved, and how it benefited the business.
Make sure your employee is aware of what you’ll be telling the public and feel at ease being recognised publicly first. Some people dislike the idea of being in the spotlight and would prefer to receive praise quietly. Sensitivity over the method of delivery is just as important as the praise itself, so make sure you consider this first.
3. Remember to celebrate staff birthdays, anniversaries and milestones
Remembering birthdays, anniversaries and important milestones in someone’s career is a way to show you care about each individual in your company. One way to show that you value the efforts of your staff is to allow your employees to have their birthday off to do whatever they choose. Providing cake (or a healthy treat, based on employees preferences) can be a welcome reward that helps bring the team together to celebrate an individual.
Work anniversaries and significant career achievements offer an opportunity for a reward too. These are few and far between so they can carry higher benefits like an extra day’s holiday, a special gift or a company-wide announcement. Define a policy and stick to it, so everyone receives the same treatment for a certain length of service or a significant life or career event.
4. Hold a corporate party
Corporate parties and events give your employees a chance to socialise and enjoy themselves, whilst you demonstrate that you appreciate their work. Such events can boost morale, improve staff retention and help employees to develop interpersonal relationships.
Company parties can help to improve overall company culture by uniting different teams and departments. They can also help employees to meet and interact with management that they might not have the chance to meet under other circumstances.
In a celebratory environment, you also have a great opportunity to recognise great work through informal awards or celebrate team achievements.
5. Reward hard work with an off-site day or retreat
Sometimes employees need a change of scenery to help boost creativity and productivity. A day outside the office or even a company retreat changes the atmosphere and rewards employees with pleasant surroundings.
You could plan an off-site day or retreat at the planning stage or completion of a long-term project. This provides benefits for the employees involved in that project, which could lead to higher levels of engagement throughout the process.
6. Surprise treats or gifts
Surprise treats can go a long way in showing employees that their hard work is noticed and appreciated. An unexpected gift actually makes the brain react in a different way, heightening the perceived effects of that reward. It also stimulates the areas linked to learning and behaviour development, so you can benefit from an even more engaged team.
This can be something as simple as bringing in pizza for the office or taking the team out for lunch. Make sure it’s unexpected, and the benefits will be greater. It demonstrates that you’ve thought about your team outside the socially conventional times to do so and provided a reward for their continued work ‘just because’. Treating your employees to something special every once in a while will show that you care about them and their well-being. Give this careful thought though, as you still need to provide this type of reward in the right way, at a suitable time.
7. Encourage personal development
Recognise and appreciate individuals who are working to educate themselves and advance their skills. Actively supporting employees in furthering themselves shows that you’re invested in them as a person. It also shows that you value their determination, hard work and drive for self-improvement.
You could offer rewards like funding or reimbursing employees for attending educational events. It’s even better if you can organise your own internal events such as corporate workshops or training days that provide a learning opportunity whilst investing in your team.
8. Prioritise wellness
Introduce some employee perks that focus on their wellbeing. There are a whole host of ways to do this. From providing healthcare plans to supporting good mental health with access to apps like Headspace, you can help support your staff’s overall health.
You could even bring wellness initiatives directly into the workplace. Organise a mindfulness workshop, fitness class or massage treatments to help reduce stress levels.
9. Host or attend award ceremonies
Rather than a corporate party, you could organise your own formal awards event to celebrate the successes across your company. If your workplace is large, such an event could be a great way to make the whole company aware of teams and individuals that have achieved something spectacular.
Attending an awards event can be a rewarding experience, a chance to get dressed up and enjoy an evening out. They help increase awareness of all the efforts that go into making a company great and help employees to feel a shared sense of pride in the company they work for.
10. Encourage employee feedback
Employees are more likely to feel valued if they believe their voice is being heard. In order to obtain a sense of how the company may be improved, ask your workers for their suggestions.
As well as welcoming feedback, you’ll also need to act on it. Demonstrate the steps you’re taking to listen to the suggestions you’ve collected and make improvements. With open feedback channels, employees feel both valued and empowered to make a change for the benefit of the company.
A Little Employee Appreciation Goes a Long Way
However you choose to show your employees you appreciate them, you’ll be providing benefits for your employees and the company as a whole. Showing staff that you value them helps to increase trust, productivity and employee retention. Don’t overlook employee appreciation initiatives, and give yours some thoughtful consideration. Get the right fit for your company culture and you’ll build an engaged and happy workforce.
If you want to make your corporate event or awards ceremony a success, hire an experienced technical event production company such as Stage Connections. We have a wide range of high quality lighting, sound and audiovisual equipment for hire, perfect for any type of event. To find out more about the services we offer, get in touch with us and a member of our professional team will be happy to assist you.
