Why Right Now is the Best Time to Invest in Employee Appreciation: 10 Ideas

man tossing colorful confetti into the air and smiling

Many companies do not place enough value on making sure their employees feel appreciated and valued. But that should not be the case. There are many benefits that come with employee appreciation, including:

  • Increased Productivity: Expressing gratitude is one of the most effective ways to let employees know their hard work is being noticed and appreciated, and this incentivizes them to work harder.
  • Talent Retention: You cannot hope to retain the best talents and stay ahead without investing in maintaining the satisfaction and appreciation of these individuals. Studies have shown that employees will stick with organizations that make them feel appreciated.
  • Motivation in the Workplace: When employees realize that their hard work and effort is not being overlooked, office morale goes through the roof and the workplace becomes a happier, more productive place.

10 Ideas to Help You Show Employee Appreciation

  1. On-Site Massage Therapists or Chiropractors
    Office work can take its toll on the bodies of your employees. Whether it’s back pain, neck strain, leg pain, you want your employees to know you are not oblivious to their pain and struggle by providing ways in which they can alleviate their pain.

  2. Guided Meditation
    Meditation has been shown to be effective at reducing stress and increasing pain thresholds. Place an expert at the disposal of your employees and see their smiles of appreciation lift your heart. There are many virtual opportunities for this as well.

  3. Free Yoga or Other Exercise Sessions
    Free Yoga sessions and other exercise classes every once in a while can really make it clear to your employees that you care about their well-being and not just your bottom line.

  4. Educational Speakers
    Interested in keeping your employees sharp and at their best mentally? Don’t just say it; take action: provide thought leaders in the industry who will speak and broaden the worldview of your employees.

  5. Allocate Resources for Training and Development Programs for Your Employees
    You could give employees the freedom to pick out trainings and development programs they deem beneficial, whether these be conferences, classes, or entire courses…and then pay for it. We recommend even if it is for some kind of personal growth and not necessarily directly related to the business. Everyone wants to level up!

  6. Surprise Gifts
    Everyone loves getting a gift and especially surprise ones. At Eternity as an example we surprise new employees with a free monthly subscription to a local coffee roaster so they can have delicious beans delivered to their home. We also send a surprise birthday gift each year to every employee as well.

  7. Personal Projects of Your Employees
    Just because they spend the majority of their productive hours working on your projects doesn’t mean that your employees don’t have projects and dreams of their own to accomplish. You can encourage these dreams by creating time during which your employees can work on their own passion projects.

  8. Trophies
    Nothing galvanizes effort and motivates like the prospect of a trophy. Make sure your employees have more than just their paycheck to look forward to when they work hard and put in their best into your business. You can have some amazing custom items for recognition made at Vermont Awards!

  9. Paid Holidays and Vacation
    Employees value more than just a paycheck, now more than ever, being able to spend quality time with family while not working is incredibly important. At Eternity, we offer unlimited paid sick days, vacation, holidays and paternity leave.

  10. Create a Hall of Fame
    A hall of fame is a great way to reward several employees at a time. You can take a photo of your best employees, place an appreciation note below, and then add these to the organization’s hall of fame list.

Conclusion

With a little creativity, strong will, and commitment, you can let your employees know they are more than just an entry in your HR database. And this in turn motivates them to be more productive for your business, improving your bottom line. It truly is a win-win.