Five Employee Appreciation Tips

 Five ways to show your employees you appreciate them

It's not really uncommon to appreciate and praise employees for being tireless troopers in an organisation, but in light of the global pandemic - Covid-19 - It has become more evident that without the many people willing to risk their lives in service of the community, many organisations would not still be standing. It has also shown that even in the little that we do, there is always more we can do to show our employees that we are grateful for them

Just like consumers, employees respond more positively to reward and appreciation. It gives them more pride in themselves and their work and ultimately makes them more loyal to the organisation. Small acts of gratitude makes us all feel like we belong.

Here are 5 ways in which you can show gratitude and appreciation to your employees:

Celebrate Staff Birthdays - Celebrating staff birthdays is a great personal touch in showing how much you care for your staff members and shows that you appreciate them beyond the point of them working for you. Draft a calendar of everyone's birthday throughout the year, create a system where you buy staff members cake, sing and share nice words with them. The inner child in all of us loves birthdays

Create a fun office culture-  Work should be an environment where employees can split their time between business and leisurely activities. This creates a balanced and less strenuous work environment and culture for all internal stakeholders. Set up all-inclusive fun activities linked to either public or religious holidays. An example would be an easter egg hunt, secret Santa. A space where colleagues get to be competitive, have fun and get to know each other beyond their designated departments

Wall of fame - Let's all admit it. Praise feels good, no matter who it comes from. Praise has more of a significance when your boss recognises how hard you work. Try putting up a wall of fame/ Employee of the Month board in office and on social media. It not only shows recognition but drives employees to be confident in their work and gain the respect of their colleagues. Plus it's a nice embellishment to add on one's CV!

Team building - Team building exercises and activities can vary between fun and educational. These can range from sports or other competitive games, departmental competitions or workshops that encourage discussions, debates etc. A more informal environment makes it easier for employees to speak up more and be themselves around you when they are allowed room to be less professional.

Rewards - Spontaneous rewards are a proven winner when it comes to showing your employees love. This can be in the form of knocking off an hour early on Friday, buying everyone something sweet or even a slight salary increase, depending on the progression of your organisation's finances. Rewards are a way of saying "We see how hard you work, we appreciate you and we want to keep you around!"

Try these tips on for size and who knows - you might have the biggest collection of 'Best Boss Ever' mugs in the country!