Appreciate Your Employees? Show Them!

We’re in the midst of an employment revolution with employees pushing for change in compensation, benefits, schedules, dress code, training and more. Job seekers are well positioned to not accept anything less than exactly what they’re looking for and job hopping is trendier than ever before.

As employers consider how to respond to these changes, as well as how to survive in today’s highly competitive labor market, retaining their current workforce must become a central focus. Employers who show they care about and appreciate their employees have better retention rates, and yet there is a severe disconnect in employees feeling appreciated. In fact, while 96% of employees say it’s important to feel appreciated at work, only 37% are actually satisfied with the level of gratitude their company expresses.

Showing genuine gratitude for your employees requires more than just a quick “thank you” every once in a while. Managers are the key to the new ‘people first’ future, and yet 33% of workers feel disconnected from their managers.

Showing true gratitude to your employees and the work they do must be timely, relevant and sincere. It must also be true to the person you’re showing appreciation to; if the person you want to thank doesn’t like to be the center of attention, they won’t appreciate public recognition.

Here are some ideas for showing genuine appreciation to employees:

Take Them Out to Lunch

It can be hard to make a genuine connection or have a real conversation within the busy walls of the office, or virtually across computer screens. Taking your team out to lunch not only shows appreciation through buying them a meal, but also provides a great opportunity to find connection points outside of the office to foster better working relationships.

Write a Thank You Note

Taking the time to sit down and write a note for someone shows you’re invested in and sincere about what you’re saying. Not only is that in itself significant, but a meaningful hand-written note is something many will hold on to and look back on.

Give Monetary Incentives

Everyone appreciates a monetary gift, whether it’s cash or a gift card. If this is the route you go to show appreciation, make sure it’s accompanied with the right message so that the intent and meaning comes across authentically.

Give Time Off

Nothing feels better after a long period of hard work than a well-deserved break. If you’re able to show gratitude for their hard work by giving a day or even just an afternoon off, your team will surely appreciate the gesture – especially if it’s paid time off.

Celebrate Milestones and Achievements

Acknowledging milestones and achievements is great… but celebrating them is better. Take the time to learn what’s important to your employees so you can celebrate with them. Maybe it’s a one-year milestone for someone who had trouble finding a job initially, or a ten-year milestone for someone whose been at the company longer than you. Or maybe someone finally achieved their productivity goal or landed a new client. Celebrating with your team shows you care about their success and appreciate their efforts.

Don’t Do It If It Feels Inauthentic

Gestures of appreciation need to be specific and genuine. If it doesn’t feel authentic to you as a person and as a manager, it’s not going to be impactful to your employees.

Managers and supervisors are the key to retaining your workforce. Studies show 57% of workers have left a job because of their boss, and an additional 32% have seriously considered leaving because of their manager. If management isn’t showing their genuine gratitude for their team and the hard work they do, the chance of keeping that top talent is incredibly low. In today’s competitive labor market and the high rates of job hopping, retention is critical.

Your employees work hard. It shouldn’t be difficult to acknowledge their effort and show how much you appreciate them.