Celebrate Your Employees

We hear a lot about the scarcity of labor these days, and it makes the workers we have even more dear to us. In this season of celebrations, let’s remember to really celebrate their loyalty and contribution to your success. Just remember one key element: plan ahead to make it special. Appreciation is never an offhand comment or empty gesture. It resonates with sincerity and sparkles with ingenuity.

One of the key aspects of appreciation is being more than what is expected or required. For example, employers give a gift or year-end bonus, and while it is not required, it comes at an expected time. Your most sincere appreciation is expressed outside or beyond the usual. Give the turkey, and then plan continuous celebrations throughout the year. Here are some ideas to get you going:

·        Make birthdays memorable. Cater lunch or make sure cake is the order of the day at breaks.

·        Set up a Cheers from Peers board, and let employees recognize the good work they recognize.

·        If you have lake property and if it is feasible, let employees take turns for weekends at the lake.

·        Track success.

·        Revive the art of the thank you note. It is sincere and individual.

·        Include pictures or introductions of your staff on your website.

Lest this catch you at a harried moment and you feel inclined to shrug off these ideas, let me dazzle you with a little research to back up my premise. 69% of employees think they would work harder if their efforts were more appreciated. That someone felt led to document this fact demonstrates the lack of workforce appreciation which truly exists. When asked what bosses could do to increase worker engagement, 58% suggested offering recognition. Like the proverbial underappreciated housewife or henpecked husband, we all perform tasks when we don’t feel like it or when it is inconvenient, and we usually feel like we deserve a medal, don’t we? Millennials need that recognition immediately. As a matter of, we all do!

No matter how big your business is, a helping hand always serves as the backbone of operation and it always deserves appreciation. Whether your sole employee is contracted lawncare or your business relies upon a well-defined division of labor or you employ teams of workers—their work is an underpinning to your success. Think about it. If you had to mow the lawn, your business wouldn’t be open. If you wore every hat, innovation would float out the window. If you made it all happen, less would be happening. Appreciating those who make you successful is easy during the holiday season, and I applaud those gifts and that recognition. All I am saying, is devise a plan to make it an ongoing year of celebration.