Great companies know that the employees are the heart of the business. Satisfied and engaged employees would bring in not only positive energy to the workplace but also increase the company’s profit and sales.
Unconcerned employees could be a hindrance to the workplace as they can drain out the positive energy out of the rest of their colleagues. In other words, engaged employees are an enhancement to any company.
Employees who feel they have a positive personal rapport with their management are more likely to be engaged. Not only that, employees would feel appreciated when they or their work gets noticed and this encourages constructive employee engagement.
“Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They’re just more engaged at work.”
– Tom Ruth
Here are 7 low cost methods that companies can put into practice to encourage employee recognition:
1. Ask employees and management to nominate/vote for the employee of the month.
Employees will appreciate the recognition that they receive and realise that their daily performances are being noticed. When management deliver the ‘Employee of the Month’ award, they have to be specific as to why such employee deserved it and could be either written out or publicly explained during monthly team meeting.
By doing so, other employees would learn from it and work harder the following month. The ‘winning’ employee that the company recognises will be delighted that their work was noticed and appreciated.
2. Reward the team or department that shows great achievement.
Besides awarding ‘Employee of the Month’, management could also reward t the team that have accomplished or worked well together. Rewards could be as simple as lunch with the management, shopping voucher or even movie tickets for them to enjoyed together after work and bond on a personal level out of the workplace.
This encourages employees to work together as a team and not just as an individual all the time.
3. Starting an employee appreciation program.
Management could start an appreciation program for the employee that shows positive qualities at the workplace. Points could be awarded to the employee for simple task like assisting their colleagues to their punctuality or any other qualities.
These points collected at the end of the week or month could be redeemed for small prizes like shopping vouchers or certain benefits like leaving a half hour early one day. Practicing such an employee recognition program can strengthen employee engagement.
4. Recognise your employees’ personal accomplishments.
Employees will appreciate it when management recognise their personal accomplishments. From donating blood to the Red Cross to getting the keys to their new house, it is getting noticed out of the workplace that makes the employee feel appreciated.
Even though all management did was to acknowledge these personal accomplishments, employees do not feel that managements only concern was about work but also about the employee’s activities out of work.
5. Expressing interest in your employees’ professional development.
Expressing interest in the employees’ professional development it does not necessarily mean paying for their education or courses. It just mean that management are interested in knowing what their employees personal goals and supporting them in trying to achieve them.
It could mean looking out for courses and sending them emails about them, assisting them in accomplishing their goals faster. Employees will appreciate the interest and guidance on achieving their dreams given by their management.
“People may take a job for more money, but they often leave it for more recognition.” – Bob Nelson
6. Post and follow a celebration calendar in the workplace.
Management should celebrate employees’ birthdays and their employment anniversaries. It does not have to be a surprise party with their family involved and lavishing them with expensive gifts. It could just be as simple as birthday cake with a shopping voucher or a birthday card with funny notes written on it by the rest of the employees.
7. Call an employee to your office to thank them personally.
Normally when an employee gets sent to management’s office, they assume the worst. Calling them and having a short 10 minute chat with them and telling them what a great job they have been doing would make them feel at ease and even motivate them to work hard.
There are times when saying ‘Thank You’ is rather hard, so try any one of these great ways to say thank you to your employees.
They would be especially pleased to receive honest gratitude for a job well done.
In Summary
There are plenty of other inexpensive ways for management to show the employees the recognition that they deserved. Sometimes at the end of the day, the two most underused words in any organisation or companies are the simple words ‘Thank You’’.
Whichever method used or practiced, remember to make it a ritual and not just a ‘once off’.
