When your employees are happy and feel appreciated, they’re likely to be more productive. When they’re more productive, your company is more profitable. It’s pretty simple really. If you want your company to be successful, it’s important that you make sure your employees are well taken care of. And while you might not be able to increase their compensation, there are other ways you can reward and nurture your employees.
Here are 10 ways to make your employees feel appreciated.
1. Offer flexible work schedules – If you want your employees to stay happy, you need to show respect for their lives outside of work. Give them a little flexibility in their schedules. For example, if an employee has to take her kid to school in the mornings and can’t come in until 30 minutes after everyone else, let her adjust her schedule accordingly. Or if an employee lives across town and doesn’t want to get stuck in traffic, allow him to work his schedule around the morning and afternoon rush hours.
2. Celebrate their birthdays – It sounds silly, but no matter what age people are, they still enjoy celebrating their birthdays. Some companies hold monthly birthday parties to say “happy birthday” to everyone with a birthday that month. Other companies give employees a paid day off on their birthday. Find a reward that works best for your business, and show employees you care about their birthdays.
3. Have a little fun at work – Your employees shouldn’t feel like drones coming into work. Yes, they’re there to do work, but what’s wrong with having a little fun while at work? Don’t be a taskmaster. Your employees will resent you for it, and their performances will suffer. So, lighten up, and try to create a more fun and relaxing environment on the jobsite.
4. Give awards for a job well done – At the end of a successful project or just after a period of time of consistent high-quality work, give employees awards and recognition for a job well done. You could hold a company meeting and have the top employees stand up and receive a round of applause, or you could create little trophies and certificates to hand out to them.
5. Give more than an E for effort – You already know to reward employees for success, but what do you do when an employee really is trying his hardest and things just don’t work out? There’s really something to be said for effort. Effort is what truly counts. Things won’t always go as planned, but if your employees are giving it their all, they should be rewarded regardless of the outcome.
6. Bring in food – Everybody loves food. Some companies provide lunch for their employees every day! While this might be out of your budget, you can try bringing in food for big meetings and other events throughout the year.
7. Be willing to give employees some time off – Yes, your employees have a specific number of vacation days and sick days, but there are times throughout the year when they just need a day off. Maybe they have a friend visiting from out of town or they want to take their kids to some special event. The reason isn’t important. What’s important is that you let your employees enjoy their lives outside of work.
8. Write a personalized letter to employees who do a great job – There’s something very personal about a handwritten letter. It shows that you really care and that you’ve taken the time to write to the employee.
9. Help employees find ways to further their careers – As soon as an employee feels stuck in their job, they start to get miserable. If an employee feels like he’s just spinning his wheels in place, he’ll stop taking his job seriously and performance will decline. You need to provide ways for employees to further their careers…even if it causes them to eventually leave your company. Send them to seminars. Allow them to work on bigger projects. Anything to show them you’re helping them grow.
10. Have an annual “Staff Appreciation Day” – On this day, it’s the management team’s responsibility to prepare the food and setup the party. It’s all about pampering the employees and showing them how much you appreciate all their hard work.
What are some of the things you’ve done to reward your employees? Leave a comment with your best tips.
This article is written by Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases (https://www.ereleases.com), the online leader in affordable press release distribution. Grab your free 160-page copy of the Big Press Release Book – Press Releases for Every Occasion and Industry here: https://www.ereleases.com/free-offer/big-press-release-samples-book/