Expanding Employee Appreciation Boosts Engagement And Productivity
(Updated May 2023)
It’s no secret or surprise that employees who feel valued perform better than their underappreciated counter parts. Prioritizing employee appreciation is a simple, yet powerful tool for increasing your workforce’s satisfaction, motivation, and loyalty to your company.
Employee appreciation encompasses any form of expressing gratitude and recognizing efforts made by employees, on an individual or public level. Our goal is to refresh some new ideas on employee appreciation, and drive home the enormous benefits of having a workforce that feels valued.
Quick Facts: Why Employee Appreciation Is Crucial
- Recognition drives productivity. 69% of employees would work harder if they felt their efforts were better appreciated. (TinyPulse)
- 40% of employees who “do not feel meaningfully recognized will not go above their formal responsibilities to get the job done.” (Ragan)
- Being happy at work leads to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive. (University of Warwick)
- Nearly 90% of employees who received recognition or thanks from their boss in the past month indicated higher levels of trust in that boss. Among employees who received no recognition, only 48% indicated they trusted their higher-ups. (Forbes)
These factors, among many other studies show the effectiveness of employee appreciation on engagement and productivity. It’s human to want to be appreciated, and making a consistent effort to say thanks to employees has major impacts.
Employee Appreciation Stems from Founders & Leadership
While there’s no magic pill for ending turnover, leadership can have an impact on decreasing turnover with stronger, more consistent efforts to express gratitude for their staff. As mentioned above, personalized notes or direct communication from leadership builds stronger, more trusting relationships. If employees are consistently putting in effort and producing great work, and not being recognized, it can leave them feeling disheartened, and less likely to put in full effort in the future.
This culture of appreciation really blossoms from the top down, and incorporating methods of appreciation into operational processes is a great start. Feeling undervalued is one of the top reasons employees leave their jobs. If you work in the Denver tech community, you know that engaging and holding onto great talent is even more competitive.
5 Fresh Ideas To Practice For Appreciating Your Employees
So what can your organization do to enhance or build up your employee appreciation program? The ideas are endless! Whether it’s adding new perks like Summer Fridays or switching over to unlimited PTO, great benefits give your company a highly desirable advantage. We’re scratching the surface of some unique ideas for appreciating the people that keeps the cogs running.
Mentorship Programs and Professional Growth
A survey on job satisfaction and growth found that 74% of employees surveyed said they weren’t reaching their full potential due to lack of training. That’s a lot of potential! Investing in learning opportunities, virtual learning, peer-to-peer mentoring programs, and additional training speaks volumes of valuing employees.
Connect Offering Appreciation To Your Company Values
This simple, yet influential idea has an easy execution. During meetings or an intentional space designed for employee appreciation, ask team members to write a note about another employee based on how they exemplified company values. This is a great way to help your team feel connected and appreciated by one another, all while reinvigorating your company’s values.
Celebrate Out of Office Achievements
Come up with a creative way to display what team members are working on and accomplishing outside of the office. You may have an accomplished baker or marathon runner in your midst and not even know it! Celebrating more than office achievements brings about a culture of care and investment, not to mention new ways for your team to bond and share interests together.
Summer Fridays
Summer Fridays cover a range of flexible policies allowing employees to have a half-day or reduced hours on Fridays to get a head-start to the weekend. As Coloradans are constantly planning our next dash to the mountains, we love this idea. Bringing up the larger conversation about hours versus productivity, we know now that constant work can actually be counterproductive. Allowing Summer Friday policies shows you value work-life balance and your employees having time to rest and recover.
Unique, Fun, and Easy
If you already incorporate some of the above ideas, there’s always more to expand on. One honorable mention idea is to create a treasure/scavenger hunt with cash prizes and opportunities for the winning team. Or, consider providing a subscription like gym memberships or Netflix for all employees. Host a holiday decorating competition for the office, or throw a no-reason-needed surprise party! Show your love by including the whole company in an employee appreciation video for your website. Find more ideas of where to celebrate in Denver here.
A Little Goes A Long Way
Especially during uncertain times, employee appreciation becomes even more significant to help people feel more secure and supported. From personal notes or conversations on an individual level recognizing an employee’s efforts, to publicly hyping how incredible your staff is, there is a measurable impact. At the end of the day, thanking your employees contributes to everyone’s success and happiness.
Here at BWBacon Group, we know and live what you are experiencing as an employer or job seeker in Denver, Boulder, Dallas, San Francisco, New York City or any of the other cities we work in. We believe great recruiting starts and ends with understanding people.
If you have any questions about living, working or playing any of the areas we serve, please contact us. We are happy to help. Seize the day, every day, that’s what we say!