Even though the Thanksgiving holiday is almost a week past, memories are still fresh enough that many are still talking about the good food, fellowship and festive spirit enjoyed. Our appreciation of the blessings we often take for granted is heightened as we reflect on time spent with family and friends.
Thanksgiving and appreciation for family is top of mind during the holidays, but as an employer you should also be diligent in recognizing employees and expressing appreciation for their contributions to the organization. Employee appreciation should be frequent and a combination of structured, comprehensive recognition and spontaneous expressions of thanks.
Not sure where to begin? Kazim Ladimeji lists 5 ways to recognize employees in this article for recruiter.com. According to Kazim, expressing appreciation is valuable, effective and can be implemented without stretching budgets.
- Saying “thank you” boosts engagement, especially when being specific about the behavior or performance you are thanking someone for.
- Recognize deserving employees 3-4 times per month.
- Recognition from coworkers imparts a greater sense of value.
- Communicate accomplishments and recognized achievement to the rest of the organization – make them famous among their peers and coworkers.
- Incorporate intrinsic motivators –
- Sense of meaningfulness
- Sense of choice
- Sense of competence
- Sense of progress
These expressions of appreciation are insightful and practical – and common components in comprehensive employee recognition programs. Kazim points out that there must be clear criteria for receiving recognition and the program should be inclusive of all employees. Structure is necessary for maximum effect.
Contact us to find out more about structuring your employee recognition program for maximum effectiveness, and about utilizing IncenTrac to easily manage all aspects of your program.
