Employee Appreciation

It is baffling why there's an Employee Appreciation Day. Do you think showing employee’s love one day a year will keep them happy? If you do, you are living in the Dark Ages because employee appreciation should be every day of the year.

How do you expect to attract and retain the most talented people if they are not treated like they own the business? Your employees are the heartbeat of the company, and the sooner you realize this, the more successful the business will be.

There are many ways to keep employees happy. Some of them cost money, but most of them are very simple, below are a few examples

1.      Lunches – Many of your employees are from different ethnic background. Periodically bring in lunches, so they learn more about their co-worker’s cultures.

2.      Sharing Successes – If someone has a great win share it with the entire company internally and on Social Media. If one of your employees gets recognized outside the workplace, do the same thing.

3.      Flexible Work – Things happen in people’s lives so offer a flexible work program. People do not need to be in the office 100% of the time to do their job, so letting them work from home allows them a break from the office. Don’t just allow this during bad weather or other circumstances, encourage this, and you will be surprised by the increased office moral.

4.      Extra Holidays – Don’t be a stickler of the person’s holiday time. If they ask for a few extra days to take a longer vacation, give it to them. People are loyal, and they will remember this.

5.      Open Meetings – Every quarter have a staff meeting to talk about the company’s direction. During this session encourage employees to offer suggestions or concerns about EVERYTHING. No suggestion is a bad idea. Take notes and respond via email to everything that was suggested. People want to be heard, and you will be surprised what comes out of these meetings. Be sure to put a time limit on the meeting and stick to it.

6.      Technology – if a piece of technology is good enough for the CEO it should be good enough for anyone in the organization. A little investment in tech goes a long way.

The number one reason employees leave is the don’t feel appreciated. Make sure you make them feel appreciate more than once a year.

Never forget “IT STARTS WITH PEOPLE.”