There is nothing worse than feeling like a cog in a machine. It’s something more employers should be worried about. If your team members aren’t feeling appreciated in their day-to-day, why should they bother?
The economy has just went through “The Great Resignation”, which was mainly prompted by Covid, sure, but Covid forced employees to really think about their work, and a lot came to the conclusion that they were not appreciated, leading to mass walkouts across the industry board.
Don’t become another statistic. Show your employees that you appreciate them and you might avoid resentment, burnout, less productivity and a possible resignation letter or two.
Bonuses
Bonuses are the best way to reward good work. They act as a reward at the end of a project and an incentive for good work for the next project. You can base bonuses on a project basis, or a monthly basis, they can be cash or non-cash, like travel or retail vouchers, electronics, or watches, etc. Whatever the case, your employees will at least appreciate being recognized.
They’re also good for attracting potential new talent, not just for the fact that they might see some extra finance if they have earned it, but potential employees will also know that you appreciate good work and reward it when you see it, which contributes, overall, to a more healthy and welcoming work environment.
Benefits
Along the same lines, benefits offer an ongoing gift-based reward for their hard work. Benefits can come in all sorts of forms and people might even depend on them. This offers a big incentive for employees to continue working at their best due to the fact that their insurance doesn’t cover dental, for instance.
Like bonuses, they reward good work but also can come in lots of variations, from the necessary like health insurance, dental, mileage or company car, etc. to the fun, like discounted meals, gym memberships, subsided travel, etc.
The best part about this is that you can tailor the benefit to the employee. Your employee that lives across the street might not have much use for a company car, but they might appreciate the dental care plan. It means you are saving money on what you don’t use, rather than aiming for a one-size-fits-all approach. Conversely, it might make the difference between new talent or not. Benefits are also very attractive to new employees, but they might need to be the right ones. Maybe they can’t take a job without health benefits for the sake of someone at home, or they are too far away to justify taking a job without their travel covered. You can show new employees that their work will be appreciated with the benefits they deserve for their situation.
Training
Training is another way to show appreciation to your employees. Whether they want to stay with you forever or they take their skills further up the company, they are looking to expand. To ignore that is to make them simply turn bored, stressed, and resentful.
Besides, training your employees benefits both them and you. You can sign them up for a course that gives them skills they can use in your company. You can offer them a promotion with a new title and a pay bump and leave them at their desk knowing they are appreciated.
As part of your employees training, you might want to look into outplacement opportunities. Your employee will be able to gain some hands-on experience of what they are getting trained in so that they can bring their skills back to your company.
Team days out
If you’re looking to inject some fun into the office, and perhaps make for a more friendly and cooperative team, you can look into having a day out. But warning: your team would rather have the day off given the choice. You’re going to have to make it something good to get everyone willing and on board. And different people have different ideas about what makes a good day out.
But once they’re there, they should start enjoying themselves. There are a lot of ways you can go with this. You can engage their competitive side with team sports, which can range from football on the field to foosball at the arcade. You can allow them to use their minds with a pub quiz or an escape room or shut off their minds for something active like an obstacle course or hiking. Or simply allow everyone to get to know each other better at something like a music festival.
This is a great way to allow everyone a break after a big project. You can offer everyone in your team a breather as a reward for their hard work for the project instead of getting right back to the daily grind.
Hybrid/flexible working
Whether the wider workplace market wants to admit it or not, hybrid and flexible working is here to stay. It’s become so common now, that a lot of employees who have the option are saying they’re not going to take a job that doesn’t offer flexible or remote working, and, crucially, it shows how considerate middle managers and managers are of their employees.
The main perk of hybrid or flexible working is the idea of a more even work/life balance. People can work around everything from other responsibilities to their own health and wellbeing. To offer hybrid or flexible work options is to show your employees that you realize they have a life outside of your office and appreciate their choice to make that life easier.
The perk of flexible work hours for you is that it’s not likely to affect your day-to-day. A lot of work can be done at any point in the day, so if your employee asks to come in at 7am to be gone for the 3pm pick up at school, what difference will it really make?
And then there are all the arguments that working from home or flexible working hours make for a more productive team. Make of that what you will.
