In order to be successful, a business has to understand a couple of variables. Naturally, things like marketing, sales, and customer service are vital to the business, but none of those are possible without the company’s heart; the employees.
On a day-to-day basis, employees are the driving force for any given business, but their work and efforts often go relatively unnoticed and unappreciated. That being said, after the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic settled in, many companies are beginning to realize the irreplaceable value of their employee’s efforts.
This realization on the part of companies is being helped along by an ever-increasing number of employees around the country that are advocating for more respect and appreciation. Ideally, this culture shift will lead to greater wage equality, job security, and job satisfaction, but it won’t happen overnight. Change happens one step at a time, and a great first step is investing more time and energy into your employees.
To help you and your company join in the movement, we’ve put together several employee appreciation ideas that you can try out. From something as simple as encouraging better interpersonal engagement, to setting up full-blown employee recognition programs, we think these suggestions could make some real change.
Up Your Employee Engagement
A common complaint from many employees is a lack of representation. Looking at the way that many businesses are set up, this isn’t necessarily a big surprise. Most “regular” employees feel like they don’t have much of a say in how the company runs, how the workplace is designed, or what the company values are.
Now, this isn’t calling for a complete overhaul of the system or turning every business upside down to meet employee demands, but rather a few simple changes to employee-business interactions.
Listen to the Workers!
If your company doesn’t already, create a space where your employees’ thoughts and ideas can be heard. This could look like a weekly meeting, an open-door policy, or even a suggestion box, as long as the suggestion box is taken seriously and consistently checked. The bottom line is simply letting your employees know that you are listening and you are taking their suggestions seriously.
Find Common Ground
Obviously, not every idea from your team members will be a hit, and a company can only implement so much change at a time. In light of that, we recommend you try and find common wants, requests, or needs from your employees’ suggestions. If a few different workers have been asking for better break room facilities, or remote employees suggest more flexibility with hours, propose their ideas to the entire company.
If the ideas are well received, the positive feedback can help guide the company forward, creating improvements and benefits for everyone involved. Working collaboratively in this way allows you to recognize your employees for their contributions and hard work while still managing to improve the company as a whole.
Recognition Programs
Staff appreciation should be a consistent presence in a business rather than a special occasion. You can still plan an employee appreciation day or buy everyone ice cream after a good quarter, but it should be your goal to create a culture of appreciation within the workplace.
Appreciation Culture
To foster a full-time recognition program, encourage your employees to share their accomplishments with their coworkers, both inside and outside of work. If someone has accomplished something, whether it’s paying off a home loan or finally making that sale they’ve been working on, they should be able to tell the people around them and have their work recognized. By creating a space for your staff to uplift each other and have their hard work validated, you make better bonds between team members and possibly even a higher level of motivation!
Go Beyond “Good Job”
Within a company culture of appreciation, praise and reward for a job well done should be normal, not a surprise. A great job is deserving of more than just a pat on the back, and you should make it known to your employees! This is where a formal employee recognition program comes into play.
There are plenty of ways to tell your employee that they’re doing a great job, so take a quick peek at these staff appreciation ideas to see what might work for your company.
- Monetary Incentive Programs- A classic form of employee appreciation, monetary rewards are usually well received by employees. This can be in the form of small bonuses, paid time off, stock options, or even salary increases! Often this is the most straightforward program to implement, as it brings a tangible, desirable reward to the workplace.
- Non-Monetary Programs– On the other side of things, many employees simply want recognition or praise for their work, and giving someone a bonus for every good job they do isn’t a sustainable model. Non-monetary programs give you a more consistent way to reward employees without breaking the bank. These programs can look like days off, “reward” lunches, an acknowledgment in company newsletters, or even features on the company website. Simply by taking the time and effort to show your thanks to your employees, you can help boost their morale and let them know that they are valued.
Final Thoughts
At LACOSTA, each and every one of our team members is valued and respected in their position. We try to avoid the word employee, as it’s less personal and creates somewhat of an unequal power dynamic in the workplace. Treat your team members with respect and they will return that respect to you!
There are plenty of employee recognition ideas out there, and not every single one of them will work at your company. However, there should be some sort of an effort to increase employee recognition and appreciation if possible. Your workers and team members are the heart of the company; make sure they know it!
At LACOSTA, we know that we wouldn’t get far without our fantastic employees. The importance of our employees can’t be stressed enough, as they are the backbone behind our operation.
As a result, we are constantly looking for ways to acknowledge and reward our employees for the exceptional work they do while at the same time providing many avenues for our employees to be recognized both by internal staff and our clients.
If you would like to learn more about our employees and the great work they do, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are always happy to discuss how our services can benefit your business!