When employees know their hard work is appreciated and recognised, they feel that their work is valued. ... In addition to improving productivity, showing appreciation in the workplace also increases employee engagement and dedication. Appreciation helps build staff loyalty, and improved your personal and corporate brand.
The importance of employee appreciation
Here are some ways an employee appreciation program can benefit your business:
- It builds trust. If workers can't trust you, your business will not operate smoothly. Employees want to feel like their bosses see them as human beings and have their best interests in mind. According to a survey from Globoforce 86% of employees felt they could trust managers who had shown them recognition within the past month.
- It boosts productivity. If workers feel that you care, you will see it in how hard they work. Appreciated employees feel invested in the success of a company and will make a more calculated effort.
- It decreases turnover. Hiring new staff is time-consuming and costly. Because recognizing employees can improve morale, you might be able to reduce your staff turnover rate by showing employees they are appreciated.
- It improves brand reputation. In today's age of online reviews and social media, you can be sure that if you treat your employees poorly, people will find out. You don't want to be known as an organization to avoid. Plus, consumers like to support businesses that treat their staff well, and quality candidates are likely to apply to work for those companies.
Other ways to show staff you appreciate them:
· Express your gratitude on social media.
· Give employees extra time off.
· Welcome their feedback.
· Offer training opportunities.
Employee recognition and appreciation can also create unique company culture and strengthen employee relationships.
There have been numerous studies on the relationship between gratitude and work engagement. Consider this study reported by Harvard Medical School and done by researchers at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania:
“Researchers randomly divided university fund-raisers into two groups. One group made phone calls to solicit alumni donations in the same way they always had. The second group—assigned to work on a different day—received a pep talk from the director of annual giving, who told the fund-raisers she was grateful for their efforts. During the following week, the university employees who heard her message of gratitude made 50% more fund-raising calls than those who did not.”
Alex Korb Ph.D writes, “Gratitude can have such a powerful impact on your life because it engages your brain in a virtuous cycle.”
By implementing gratitude into company culture, employees are more willing to spread their positive feelings with others, whether it’s helping out with a project or taking time to notice and recognizing those that have gone the extra mile