According to some reports, feeling underappreciated is one of the most common reasons why people move on from their jobs. When asked what their employers could do better to improve engagement, 58% of the employees replied “give recognition.” With that said, it’s obvious that proving to your employees how much you care can really help your business grow. But what are the best ways to show your employees just how valuable they are for your business? Here are five amazing employee appreciation ideas for your small business.
Celebrate employee birthdays
Most people enjoy celebrating their birthday with the co-workers. Moreover, it’s even better if they don’t know their colleagues are throwing them a party. This means that one of the greatest ways to show your employees how much you care is to throw office birthday parties or give them a small birthday present (make it extra special with a personalized gift).
Organize team-building activities
Employees love team building activities for corporate events. Even though their basic purpose is to get everyone to get along and improve their teamwork skills, these building activities also remind your employees that you care. You should find out what kind of team-building event your team members would be most excited about and make it happen. Paintball is one of the most common team-building activities and probably everyone in your organization will be up for it. Also, dividing your employees into teams and organizing a board game tournament is a perfect alternative.
Hand out gift cards
Ideally, you’d be able to pick out gifts for every employee in the office every now and then. However, you just can’t be aware of what each of your employees wants and finding a perfect gift for every team member is impossible. The good news is, there are gift cards you can hand out and ensure no one in the office gets an unwanted present. These little things can be used for whatever your staff wants, so they are a perfect tool for making your whole team feel valued. Another great thing about them is that you can get gift cardsfor absolutely every occasion.
Become a mentor
Helping your workers improve their skills and become more productive is a perfect way to show them how thoughtful you are. Every employee wants to take their career to a new level and having a supportive the boss makes them more likely to stick around and actually improve. This is by every means a win-win situation as the person you mentor feels appreciated and you get a more efficient worker. Have in mind that new employees with no to little experience will appreciate your mentorship even more.
Give thank you notes
Sometimes, a thing as simple as a short thank you note can be enough to make your employees feel valued. Write a handwritten note download a template you can use or simply buy a card – no matter what you decide it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your employee’s face. Just make sure you give them out on a regular basis and you’ll do fine. For example, every time your organization completes a project, you can think about which employee or employees contributed the most and prepare a thank you note for them.
Over to you
Employee appreciation shouldn’t be reserved for just one day a year. Instead, make sure you show your team members how vital they are for your business and how much you want them to stick around. And in case you need a little push, the five employee appreciation ideas we have covered earlier in this post are guaranteed to help and make everyone in the office feel happy and valued.
