5 Little Things That Make Employees Feel Valued and Appreciated
Imagine this: A 50-year-old employee who has been with the same company for 25 years (it being his/her first job) is celebrating the exact 25th year of his/her being there. After arriving at the office, he/she saw a note on the table. Thinking that it is a congratulatory note, the employee snatched it up with a smile on the face. What the employee read is a bit heartbreaking. It was a reminder of an approaching due date. There was no celebration for spending 25 years with the same company.
Wouldn’t you feel bad that if you are that employee? If you have been with the same company for years and the management couldn’t even be bothered to write a note, wouldn’t your heart sink, too? Imagine how that employee feels. Employee loyalty should be properly compensated, valued, and appreciated.
Showing your employees that you appreciate them being part of the organization is a sure-fire way to make them happy and make them want to stay with the team longer.
Touch Base Frequently
Even though your employees are working like a well-oiled machine, make sure to touch base, so they know you are present. If they have any questions, make sure that you are available for them. Their jobs are hard enough without you making it harder by not being around or being so aloof that you remain unreachable to them.
Depending on the kind of industry you are in, institute an open-door policy. Yes, even for relevant council jobs that tend to be more formal and stiffer. Your employees need to know that they can reach out to you whenever they need to.
This is especially important after onboarding new employees. They need guidance not just from their peers but more so from their immediate superiors. Let them know that they are free to reach out to you for questions, clarifications, suggestions, and all others that will help them achieve productivity in the office.
Give Balanced Feedback
Look, you don’t need to keep to yourself if your employees are doing badly. At the same time, when they are doing good, you have to let that out, too. The key to good feedback is to keep it balanced. If you only give positive feedback, it will be obvious to those who don’t receive one that you are not happy with their work.
However, if you tell them what’s wrong with what they’re doing and how they can improve it, then they will work harder to impress you and get that glowing feedback. Be generous with both positive and negative feedback because that will help the employees and the company achieve their goals.
Provide Growth Opportunities
If the employees are consistently good with their work, what should you do about it? Promote them to a higher position. The moment that there is an opening for a supervisory or managerial position, make sure that your employees know it is up for grabs. Instead of looking for someone outside the office, check who among your employees can fill in that position.
Remember that someone who worked in the company for years knows the organization better than someone with a master’s degree who hasn’t spent a single day in the same industry.
Offer Flexibility
Another way to show your employees that you value the work they provide is to offer them flexible working hours. Who wouldn’t want to work from their homes, for example? When the pandemic happened, many offices transitioned to work-from-home setups. This is, so they can continue operating without the overhead costs associated with renting an office space.
Many employees will welcome a flexible work setup that will allow them to work from home if they want to or bring their work to the office whenever they need it.
Make It a Habit
Appreciating your employees isn’t a one-time deal. You need to do it regularly, so they know what to expect whenever they do something good for the company. It’s not just about compensating them when they meet a deadline or when a client gives them positive reviews. It’s about giving them their rightful benefits and adding some when it matters. Make appreciating employees a part of your organization’s culture.
You don’t always need to make the gesture grand. Appreciating your employees comes in small doses. You don’t even need to exert extra effort. It should come naturally from any business owner who sees and realizes the effort it takes to achieve one’s bottom line. It’s not about your managerial skills; it’s also about how your employees are working double-time and extra hard for you and the organization.
