101: Employee Appreciation
We recently celebrated Employee Appreciation Day in the United States. But many studies have shown that displays of gratitude toward staffers or co-workers go a long way, and need not be confined to one day per year or cost money. Here are three ways to consider thanking members of your team for work well done, exemplary accomplishments, or even diligent perseverance through a rough quarter:
Acknowledge the effort in a specific way. Mention the sacrifices made, said Mark Goulston in a Harvard Business Review blog. An example would be: “Joe, thanks for working over that three-day weekend to make our presentation perfect.” Goulston also recommends telling employees, either verbally or in writing, what the effort meant to you personally, such as “You were largely responsible for helping me achieve the target goals."
Add it to your routine. One executive mentioned in a Nadine Heintz article at Inc.com would set aside part of his daily morning phone call with senior executives to discuss exemplary work by employees. “(He) also made a conscious effort to thank employees several times a week, often through handwritten notes mailed to their homes,” the article states. The executive would also encourage someone other than the employee's direct manager to say thank you in person.
Remember spouses or significant others. While employees are working on extra tasks or extra hours, there is often someone on the sidelines picking up the slack at home. A Dan Tynan article at HRWorld.com mentions an executive who bought $6 bouquets of flowers for employees who put in weekend hours. “I told them to take them home … apologizing for me taking them away from their families on a Sunday,” the executive said. “One wife sent a letter saying I could keep her husband until Friday.”
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