By Jake Hugo
A lot of business owners assume that employee recognition and appreciation are something they can’t afford. They think it takes too much time and money to run a successful recognition program. But that’s not true, you don’t need to spend any money at all. You just need to make sure that you show your employees how much their hard work means to the company by rewarding them with praise, public recognition, flexible work schedules, or even free lunch. In this article, we’ll share some employee recognition examples that have helped create successful and profitable businesses.
Offer flexible work benefits
Fitting in a workout session before work, taking an online course, or grabbing lunch with a friend can be satisfying and rewarding. And these perks are just a few examples of ways you can offer flexible work benefits to employees.
Firstly, you should establish a formal policy that offers flexibility in the workplace. This could include offering employees the opportunity to use their paid time off (PTO) however they see fit as long as it doesn’t compromise the company’s goals or resources. You should then cncourage team members to share their ideas for how they’d like to use PTO so everyone has equal access to it. You could even consider having contests where teams compete for using up their PTO at an accelerated pace so they can take advantage of all those extra days off.
In order to make sure that the flexible work benefits are working well for your business, you should set guidelines for how employees must submit requests for leave—and stick by them. This will help prevent confusion about whether someone is eligible or not, which will make things run smoother overall.
Give shout-outs during staff meetings or on conference calls
If you’re hosting a staff meeting or conference call, take the opportunity to recognize and praise your employees. When it comes to recognition, the more often you give praise, the better. This applies whether you’re shouting out for a job well done or a job not so well done. Furthermore, it also applies when giving praise for an employee’s creative approach or innovative method of completing their work.
When giving shout-outs during meetings or on conference calls:
- Make sure they’re genuine statements – don’t use what you think others want to hear as praise; make sure every statement comes from within yourself and isn’t something that feels forced or fake
- Be specific about what you’re praising – this will help them feel good about themselves because they know exactly what specifically makes them unique/great/etc. rather than just generalizing everything (e.g., “You did great.”).
Offer surprise gifts
Surprise gifts are another great way to show your team members how much you appreciate them. The key to success with surprise gifts is to make sure that whatever you choose is meaningful, relevant, and appropriate. When giving a gift for a job well done, you should give the gift at the time of the accomplishment or celebration of their performance. For example, if your employee has turned in an amazing project that exceeded expectations and made his or her manager happy, then it’s time for a good old-fashioned “job well done” pat on the back. A small token of gratitude (such as a gift card) will go far in reinforcing this positive behavior.
You also should consider giving a gift if an employee needs extra motivation. Sometimes we all need extra motivation when we don’t feel like doing something—whether it be work-related or personal life-related—and sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day. In this case, consider giving your employee something fun that they wouldn’t normally buy themselves but would still love nonetheless such as tickets to a sports game or admission passes to a special event.
Give public recognition at staff events
If you want to give public recognition, the first step is to ask the employee what they like to do in their spare time. If you’re on a budget, keep it simple and ask if they’d be willing to bring their friends along. If possible, include a link to the employee’s social media profile or website that can help fill out your pictures with more information about them.
A good way to get started is by sharing the story behind an employee through video or photos of them at work and/or at play. You can also do this by just posting one photo of them at work and another outside of work, or even asking them how they spend their time apart from work.
It’s important not only for managers but also for other employees too so please make sure everyone sees this recognition post. This will encourage conversations among staff members about how great everyone else is too.
Conclusion
The key to employee recognition is to make it personal, fun and focused on what’s important to your employees. The key also lies in making sure that these rewards are memorable and impactful for everyone who receives them. If you’re able to do this, you’ll then be able to motivate your employees and create a more profitable business for yourself, as you’ll lessen staff turnover and increase productivity.
