Much like that morning coffee, a pick-me-up needs to be an everyday affair. You cannot have a grande Starbucks latte today and hope it powers you through for the entire week. No, we’re not done with the coffee analogy just yet.
Just as it makes its way through the system, gives us a momentary high and vanishes into thin air, appreciation too wanes off after a while. We move on to other deliverables and never get another chance to look back at what we successfully accomplished. The wow moment is lost.
This is why on-time, prompt appreciation is so important. This is not to say that a rewards program is unnecessary. Much like a mocha (yes, we’re still there), what we’re aiming for is the best of both worlds. Here are a few ways to offer rewards and appreciation in shorter time windows.
How To Recognise Your Employee Today
Use your internal communication media to highlight someone’s good work. This approach works best after you have had a one-on-one with this person and told them exactly what they got right.
Have group huddles and appreciation Mondays where everyone takes a few minutes out just to appreciate their colleagues and their workplace. You get loads of positivity into the system, for free!
Offer the option of collecting rewards, like in a game. People can either opt to cash in their reward instantly or once it becomes a substantial sum.
Leave a small note for when employees come in for work. A sticky note with encouragement is often enough to help people start their day off well and set themselves up for more success.
Start a recognition chain. Put up a balloon on a successful employee’s chair and ask them to pass it on the next day to someone else they thought was worthy of praise. Get everyone involved in the process.
Maintain a journal. This tip applies to top management as much as it does to entry-level executives. Keep a journal just for appreciation and use it every day to find one good thing that your team did that day. This builds in a deep sense of satisfaction and prompts everyone to look at themselves, and their peers, in a more positive light. You may choose to share some of these notes with the relevant people at the right time.
Be sure to keep an eye out for a variety of different wins. For example, the barometer for success for someone in HR is starkly different than it would be for someone in Sales. Recognizing each individual effort is essential.
Set aside a day each month for peer-to-peer learning. Nominate two people each month who will be speaking about their success stories. It gives them a sense of pride and also helps everyone else learn.
Offer chances for skill development. Sending an employee a link to a course you think will benefit them shows how well you know them, and helps them believe in your vision. You build loyalty and offer recognition at the same time.
Recognize the strugglers. Honestly, they don’t really have to struggle to solve your company’s problems, but they are. They’re thinking every day and every evening about you. Show them that you get it- give them a day off to be with family, or an hour to brainstorm with you.
Give out the gizmos! Most of us are nerds at heart, and however much we deny it, we cannot help but discuss the latest merchandise, and that goes beyond gadgets. Spend a moment to figure out what your employees might like as a quirky present and give them that, quite literally.
Go old fashioned! For small teams, Christmas is the best time to do a potluck. Nothing brings people together like food made straight from the heart. Larger teams can explore team picnics and games together.
Look after their health. Most companies have mandatory health insurance, but few think of in-house counsellors, access to coaches, regular training programs and so much more that focus primarily on personal wellbeing and development. 2019 is a great year to set up in-house counselling and is also the need of the hour with burnout and depression rates rising rather high.
Offer family support in the form of development programs for spouses on a break, or tutoring and daycare for the kids. Tailor these programs based on your employee demographics. Everyone loves their family, and it is time t show them you do, too.
Which of these tips would you follow immediately? We certainly recommend journaling, and monthly learning sessions to start with. But that’s not all! Tell us about your favourite recognition ideas in the comments below.