Employee Appreciation - March 2020

1) Build a relationship - More so than ever you may have heard that employees stick around at a company because of “the people.”  The people we work with make our work-life experience better. The exact same people who have invested genuine time and interest in getting to know our personal life by knowing what our go-to restaurant/food is for lunch, what we like to do in our free time over the weekend, and what we find joy in what our spouses/children’s activities are.

Overall, spend time getting to know your co-worker(s). Get to know your people, their likes, dislikes, about their family, the names of their kids, what they like to do in their free time. No one wants to be just a number.  Being in a field with route drivers - one of my favorite ways to get to know someone is spending a whole day out in the field with them and getting to know them throughout the day but also helping them do their job. 

2) Thank you cards attached to a small gift - I’ve always been a fan of handwritten thank you cards vs the simple basic thank you emails. Thank you cards allow me to know this person took the time to buy a card, focus on if their handwriting was good, probably go through 2 cards until they settled on the handwriting that looked more professional- point is- they took the time and effort to think of me and thank me. I like to take it a step further and also attach the thank you card to a box of chocolates or my personal favorite, a big Costco Pie around thanksgiving time. I want that employee to take that massive pie home and set it on their thanksgiving table - I want it to become a topic of conversation - I want my employee to proudly say, “yah! my company gave us that pie and they even attached a thank you card to it.”

3) Praise and acknowledge their hard work - Acknowledging the employee’s hard work and giving them a shout out at a meeting or on a community online network allows the employee to feel like their work matters. It creates a platform for other employees to also acknowledge and congratulate them for their hard work or for closing a customer deal  - whatever the situation maybe- be sure to praise and acknowledge your employee in front of others. Promotions are big and I love sharing the excitement and praising the employee who was promoted. Create a personalized slide for the employee with their picture and reasons as to why they make a great employee. Send that slide out to the company or in your network. Let your star shine! But also take it a step further and send a gift to the significant other for example a set of flowers or a gift card to dinner in the name of their spouse- thanking their spouse for being a support system at home for your employee who put in the hard work to earn that promotion. 

4) Step away from the business - Take the time out to go out to lunch or go do an activity that is not always related to business. It’s so easy to get sucked into our long to-do list or working at the edge of our seat with constant changes throughout our day. Make it a point to schedule lunch with your team or employee. 

5) Become family - What I mean by becoming family is help your employee celebrate their happy and hard moments in life. The birth of a child, send them a care package. The loss of a family member, send them a sympathy card signed by everyone and flowers to the funeral or where the employee would prefer. For birthdays, set up happy birthday balloons at their cubicle or workspace or get them a “it’s my birthday pin.” Make it a point to celebrate their highs and lows.