Your employees want to feel appreciated by you and, while you may appreciate them and everything that they do – do they know it?
When staff feel appreciated by their employer, they are likely to have better productivity and lower rates of absence. Appreciating your staff and showing it is completely different as, unless you actively show your appreciation for what they do, your employees may well feel unappreciated when that simply isn’t the case.
Recognising the work and dedication of your staff should be a given, yet so many employers fail to do so. How would you feel giving eight-plus hours of your day, five days a week, for someone that would barely say ‘thank you’? You may have even been there yourself before becoming an employer, which means that you have even more reason to ensure you don’t make the same mistake.
There are plenty of ways to recognise your staff, creating a company culture that employees will buy into and wish to remain a part of. Being recognised at work adds a spring in the step of any employee, whether it is the presentation of an award or trophy, a personalised gift or even just a simple pat on the back from the boss.
Creating a Culture of Recognition
If your company does not have recognition as part of its culture, then it is time to change that! Start by creating a recognition/award strategy that will form the basis of how the company recognises staff. Be prepared for this to change and evolve, as it should, rather than treating it as a hard-and-fast rule.
Some of the reasons for recognising employees are:
- Milestones – such as long-service and retirement
- Demonstrating positive behaviour
- Achievements – such as hitting targets
- Going above and beyond what is expected of them for the business and/or customer
Putting a strategy in place as to what should be recognised (and how) removes any uncertainty and possible causes of friction (i.e. if one member of staff is failed to be recognised while another is for the same thing). It is also important to ensure that staff recognition is not taken for granted and loses all meaning.
Personal Recognition
Employees feel most valued when they receive personal recognition from their superiors or peers. Thoughtful, tailored forms of recognition will have the best response over a standard, almost robotic, response. Not only does this show that you, as their employer, appreciate them but it also shows that you know them as a person.
This can be something like a gift card to their favourite restaurant, a thank you card with a message inside or a personalised glass gift if the reason is of particular significance. Personalised forms of recognition demonstrate to the employee that they are more than just a number in the system, feeling valued by the company and the management team. When you consider that talented employees leave because of their managers, rather than their position or company, it is in the management’s interest to build a positive relationship with their staff.
Specific Recognition
Giving specific recognition is still personalised but, rather than simply showing that you know what makes them tick as a person, the employer points to exactly what and why recognition is being given. As an example, a manager may praise their employee’s time management skills for pushing through a project to a tight deadline.
This has a greater effect than a simple ‘well done’ because it recognises the employee’s strengths, demonstrating that the employer values what they bring to the table. Offering specific recognition builds the member of staff’s confidence and improves job satisfaction.
Unexpected Recognition
When an employee has done something good they may well be expecting to receive some form of recognition. This is fine, as a job well done deserves praise, but when they don’t expect to be recognised this has a greater positive impact.
As an example, if your company routinely hand out awards at a monthly meeting, it is unlikely that your employees would expect such things to happen outside of it. If a member of staff is deserving of particular attention, then catching them off guard and recognising their efforts when they don’t expect it will make for a nice surprise.
This shows that the company is invested in their employees by dedicating specific time to recognition, rather than incorporating a simple ‘thank you’ as part of a meeting that has already been scheduled in the calendar. Unexpected recognition will lift your employee’s mood and engagement which can have a positive effect on all those around them.
Recognise Your Staff
Here at Fen Regis Trophies, we have supplied and engraved beautiful glass awards and trophies for businesses up and down the country. If you would like some more information on our range, please get in contact with a member of our team today.
