Give Thanks (Part 2): Best Way to Show Appreciation to Your Employees

North America has a long history of celebrating the importance of giving thanks, displaying gratitude, and showing appreciation to those around us. And as the season of giving draws near, the heart of the season is growing larger with each day. The art of this humble acknowledgment is the crux to many organizational cultures, so it’s important to not only give thanks, but to effectively show appreciation to those in your business communities.

Giving Thanks to Clients and Employees

One of the most important ways to build lasting success is to first build a team that believes in the company’s mission and values, as well as retain your top talent. Engaging and retaining a workforce is crucial to maintaining a competitive edge and developing a strong culture. One way of doing this is by focusing on employee appreciation. Displaying gratitude to your team members goes a long way in maintaining long-lasting success.

Best Ways to Show Appreciation to Your Employees

Check out these four best practices to use when giving back to those you lead:

Create an Employee Loyalty Program

Your employees are your greatest asset, so constant turnover can do a number on your production and sales efforts—let alone the time and expense of hiring and training new members. That’s why it’s important to retain your team members. And the longer an employee is on your team, the more loyal and effective they are within their role. That shouldn’t go unnoticed or unrewarded. Consider creating an employee loyalty program that rewards employees the longer they stay within your company. For instance, it could be a tiered system that employees move through from one to five to 10 years and longer. Each year during the holiday season, you can allow the employee to choose a present or gift card from their allotted grouping. The more tenured the group, the more extravagant the gifts.

Host a Virtual Employee Appreciation Get-Together

Whether your company has gone remote or is conducting business through flex schedules to ensure social distancing guidelines at the office, you still shouldn’t miss the opportunity to meet as a team: virtually! Through services like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, you can host all your employees on one platform. This will give your staff a chance to see one another (for some, it could be the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic) and catch up. To take it to the next level and really show your appreciation, get food orders from each employee and send meals through delivery services like Door Dash or Postmates—that way it’ll feel like a real party. During your event, make sure to set aside time to give kudos to each team member in front of their peers. Public appreciation takes giving thanks to a whole new level.

Deliver a Handwritten Note

As we explained in the first installment of the Give Thanks series, the art of the thank you note didn’t die with the advent of email or social media; in fact, the power of the handwritten note has grown stronger since the start of the digital age. People understand the time and effort it takes to personalize a letter, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. While sending emails to employees saying “good job” is a great first step, consider taking the time to write personalized letters to each of your employees or those on your team explaining how much you appreciate their hard work and dedication. Include specific examples of how the they stepped up in a big way or how important they are to the organization.

Offer Leadership/Business Development Seminars

The one gift that keeps giving is knowledge. Developing leaders is imperative for all organizations to thrive and sustain long-term success. And, most individuals want the option of growth and development within their job. According to Udemy, “42% of employees say learning and development is the most important benefit when deciding where to work, followed by health insurance (48%);” and 51% of workers would leave their position if training and development wasn’t offered. One way of doing this is offering development seminars or paying for conferences so they can take advantage of advancing in their careers. And while offering these programs can be expensive, there are more cost effective or free resources that will give your employees what they need without breaking the bank.

For example, Express Employment Professionals offers a large catalogue of complimentary webinars, educational videos, white papers, educational material, and learning tracks that are perfect to share with your clients via email, Zoom conference call, or in person. You can view the extensive catalogue here.

By focusing on your employees during the holiday season, you will be able to easily build loyalty and company morale by effectively show how much you appreciate your team’s hard work.

How do you show appreciation to your employees? What are some benefits you’ve experienced by giving back to your staff? Let us know in the comment section below!

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