If you have excellent company morale, it is likely that your employees will stick around longer. Higher employee retention leads to less money being invested in hiring and training new employees. Positive company culture is vital to a successful business.
What Can You Do to Boost Morale?
There isn’t a magic wand that you can wave to make every employee feel happy and invested in the company’s success. But you can take some steps to make each employee feel like their work is valued and appreciated.
Look at some of these ideas.
5 Ways to Recognize Employee Achievements
Every employee is going to be different in the way they want to be recognized for their hard work. Some would love a big show where they walk onto a stage. Others may be happy with a genuine one-on-one conversation. Use a variety of methods in your office and listen to feedback if anyone expresses a preference.
1. Thank You Notes
Watch for small efforts that the employees make and write a note expressing your gratitude—for example, thanks for staying late to wrap up the project. Or, thanks for sticking your neck out during the meeting and taking an unpopular position. A written note will show that you want them to continue to engage in discussions.
2.Employee Appreciation Luncheon
A regularly held luncheon that celebrates employee achievements is a great way to show how much you value your employees. Make it fun by choosing a different theme each month, whether it be a color or a decade theme.
Be sure to put some thought into a personalized speech, so it doesn’t feel like you picked an employee to highlight at the last second without real thought. Direct expressions of gratitude in front of the team can go a long way.
3. Extra Evaluations without Negative Feedback
If you have evaluations periodically, add a few one-on-one evaluations where you only mention positive feedback. Talk about the things you’ve noticed that add value to the team. Take notes over the weeks so that you can go back and share specific examples of the efforts that you see from them.
4. More Vacation Time or Sick Leave
You will never go wrong when you award your employees with time off. If they put in a long weekend to meet a deadline, reward them with a late start on Monday morning. Or give them a few extradays vacationto use at their leisure.
5. Milestone Tracker
If your company has specific milestones to hit, celebrate each time someone reaches a new level. Give a treat to a team member who finishes their training period. Reward employees with gift cards or vacations when they reach sales milestones.
No matter how you choose to celebrate your employees, they will appreciate your effort. Think of innovative ways that aren’t necessarily something the office has done for years. Then, when they see that you thoughtfully considered their hard work and did something to show your appreciation, they will feel valued.
Canned celebrations that are part of the routine may go stale after a while. Change things up to show that you are genuinely appreciative.