Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! Have you ordered the bouquet or red roses you know your wife loves? What about the chocolate-filled heart box for your kids? Maybe a box of personalized M&M’s for your love? Everyone likes to feel valued and appreciated—both your loved ones and your employees. And just as you shouldn’t save the romantic gestures for once a year, you should also express your gratitude to your employees on a regular basis. Find creative yet affordable ways to show that you care!
Tell them.
Write handwritten thank-you notes to each employee.
Decorate your office with balloons or a banner that says “thank you” after a big company win or a busy time.
At The LMC Group, we use our internal Facebook group to give shout-outs to people on our team. Everyone loves to be spotlighted for their great work!
Pass on compliments or praise you hear from clients and coworkers.
If you have a monthly or yearly employee recognition program, put the winners’ photos on a “Wall of Fame.”
An Am/Ex manager describes a “morning trophy” that was a big hit: “Get a big trophy and give it to the employee you are recognizing for the week. At the end of the week, they must return the trophy, but they need to add one thing to it. (You would be shocked how many things can stick to a trophy.) Then next week give it to the next winner. At the end of the year, you'll have a trophy with 52 things stuck to it. It looks hysterical and has lots of memories.”
Show them.
Give the best parking space to the Employee of Month. It’s not a new idea, but it works.
Bring in breakfast and serve it to your employees yourself or with your managers.
Spend a couple hours in the garage assisting your chauffeurs with prepping the vehicles for their next ride.
Help out by answering the phones for a couple of hours.
Host a yearly Employee Appreciation Day cookout or party and encourage everyone to bring their families.
Give to them.
Order small items with your company logo: sticky notes, good pens, notebooks, cups, and bottles. Pass them out just because.
Establish a tradition, like a monthly birthday celebration or a weekly bagel tray.
Keep a stock of snacks in the breakroom.
Give them recognition gifts when they reach service milestones with the company—an upgraded chair, a restaurant gift card, or a collectible.
You don’t have to make a big, expensive gesture: just doing something out of the ordinary that communicates your appreciation to your employees can make a big impact. Recognizing your employees is the right thing to do, and research shows it will help your business: Globoforce reports there is a strong correlation between frequent recognition and job satisfaction, and employees who feel appreciated are more motivated and less likely to leave. Here’s a chance for you to incorporate appreciation in your own company, and show ’em some love!
If you'd like to reach out to Christina to discuss other creative ways to show your staff appreciation, email her at christina@lmc.group.