Showing your employees appreciation — on one day and throughout the entire year

Friday, March 5, is Employee Appreciation Day. While appreciation should not be limited to just one day of the year, doing something special in a coordinated way on this day can let your employees know how much you appreciate them. Some companies may provide lunch or company-branded items to show they care. But you don’t need to spend money to show appreciation – handwritten notes can be very meaningful to employees.

With the challenges that employees have faced in the last year – including living and working in a global pandemic – employees have quickly adapted to ever-changing workplace and personal needs. Showing appreciation for their work may be even more important than ever!

According to Gallup research, only 34% of employees are enthusiastic about coming to work. Creating a culture of appreciation in your workplace can drive employee engagement, which ultimately leads to better alignment with the organization’s mission and goals and increased customer satisfaction, work productivity and profitability.

Here are some basic guidelines to become more effective at providing employee appreciation and recognition to employees:

Four keys to showing employees appreciation

Be specific. Saying, “I appreciate the patience you demonstrated in finding a solution for that customer and how you went out of your way to coordinate sales, finance and operations to provide a workable solution,” means more than, “Good job with that customer.”

Be sincere. Mean what you say when you recognize an employee or show appreciation. If you can’t find good work to recognize, there may be a performance issue that needs addressed.

Show appreciation immediately. Don’t wait for days or weeks or a scheduled meeting to show employees appreciation for good work. Do it in real time to maximize the impact.

Make it personal. Recognize that each employee has unique needs and showing appreciation should be tailored to individual preferences. While one may prefer a written note or private communication, another may like receiving recognition in front of a group.

In summary

Whatever you do to provide recognition and appreciation for employees, know that it can’t be a one-time, annual event if you want to create a sustained culture of recognition that ultimately influences your bottom-line and mission. A programmatic, coordinated approach that involves communication with all employees and training of management is essential to achieving success at an organization-wide level.

For more information about employee recognition and appreciation, contact Carrie Cox using the information below.