The first Friday of every March is National Employee Appreciation Day so at vivoHR today that has meant chips for lunch for everyone!
It is widely recognised that happy employees are productive employees; they are less likely to go off sick, to raise grievances or to find themselves facing disciplinary action.
Engaged and motivated employees give more “discretionary effort” meaning they’ll achieve better results for your business, which in turn means they are likely to receive more recognition and reward and this positive cycle can only mean great things for company performance.
We’d of course recommend that far better than just one day a year, you show your employees a little bit of appreciation each and every day – but what does that mean for you?
- Say thank you – so simple and yet so effective – a brief yet genuinely meant thank you for someone’s efforts goes a long way to letting them know you appreciate what they do
- Enjoy a treat – donuts at the staff meeting, buying lunch at the end of a busy week, a bottle of bubbly to celebrate hitting target – small gestures that show you want people to enjoy being at work
- Have some fun – social events can be a great way to bring a team together – these don’t have to be grand or expensive affairs and a simple drink after work on a Friday can be a great way to chat to staff in a more informal environment and whole company events such as Christmas or summer parties are a chance to really celebrate company and individual successes
- Employee of the month – a more formal way to recognise someone who has gone above and beyond their usual job role – think about how you’ll communicate this to everyone and if there will be a reward of some kind for this achievement
- Employee perks – ask us about Perkbox – a low cost way to help your staff stretch their money just a little further and enjoy some great benefits such as reduced price cinema tickets and nights out
- Celebrate special days – wish your staff a happy birthday (one of clients gives staff their birthday off work as a bonus holiday), give a Christmas gift and send congratulations for births and marriages
- Make tough times a bit easier – consider how you can support staff during difficult times such as family illness, divorce or bereavements
- Look after their health – consider investing in providing health benefits to your valued employees – cash back schemes are a low cost way of providing such a benefit – contact us for more information
- Bonus schemes – perhaps one of the more costly ways to show your appreciation but if they are linked to company financial performance they can pay for themselves in harnessing everyone’s efforts towards a common business goal
So what are you doing to let your employees know you value them?
Have you asked your employees what would let them know they are appreciated?
We’d love to hear your thoughts.
