If you want your company to succeed you have to ask yourself: are my employees happy? Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and company profitability. The question is, how can employers create a work environment where their employees are happy? One way to show your employees you appreciate them is by recognizing their hard work.
What is Employee Recognition?
The idea of employee recognition is simple: make sure your employees know that their work is being noticed and appreciated. This can be done in various ways, from verbal praise to rewards. Here are 6 strategies top companies use to show their appreciation for their employees:
1. Strengths-Based Recognition
Employees can be recognized for their unique skills or strengths that may not have been previously identified. Strengths-based employee recognition encourages employees to use their skills and talents to help achieve a company’s goals.
2. Peer-to-Peer Recognition
Peer-to-peer employee recognition is a great way for employers to show their appreciation for employee accomplishments, collaboration and teamwork. It helps boost employee morale and encourages employees to work together. Let your team give their peers shout-outs! Companies like Motley Fool do it.
3. Social Media Recognition
Employers can spread their appreciation far and wide by showing employee recognition on social media. It’s a great way to show your employees that you appreciate them in front of a larger audience. You will, however, want to make sure that your employees want to be celebrated in front of a larger crowd.
4. Manager-to-Employee Recognition
You don’t have to wait until your annual reviews for managers to recognize their direct reports. Employers can recognize employee contributions with a simple, personalized message from the manager anytime of the year. This shows employees that their supervisors take notice and appreciate their efforts.
5. Employee Awards, Rewards, and Incentives
Creating employee awards is another great way to show employee appreciation. It’s important to create meaningful awards that represent different accomplishments, such as job performance or team collaboration. Tread lightly here though, you might start some healthy competition!
6. Listen!
Asking your employees for their feedback is a great way to ensure they feel valued. Leaders tend to spend less and less time in the “trenches” so to speak and can be removed from the reality of the day-to-day workflow. Use your employees as a resource to help improve your systems, processes, and company culture.
Make sure you take time to celebrate your employee’s milestones, work anniversaries, and if they’d like, birthdays too! It’s good to remind your team that life exists outside of work and as employees and colleagues, achievements there are important too!
When was the last time your manager said, “thank you?” When was the last time you witnessed peers making each others’ successes known? Take the time to show your employees you appreciate their efforts; it’ll pay off in more ways than one. Happy employees are engaged and productive and an invaluable asset to any organization.
Conclusion
Top companies know that employee recognition is key to employee satisfaction. That’s why they use platforms like Terryberry’s 360 recognition platform to recognize their employees in many ways. By using these strategies to show employee appreciation, employers can create a positive work environment where employees remain motivated and engaged. Try incorporating some of these strategies to keep your employees happy!
