Show Employees You Appreciate Them!

During this stressful time, recognizing the tenacity and hard work of your team isn't just recommended—it's required.

Failing to recognize employees for the good work they do can result in not only tension and lower morale but also an overall lower quality of work—which negatively affects your business or organization in the long run. Take a look at a few simple ways to show your employees you're appreciative of the great work they put in and their resiliency.

Hint: Much of the time, it's the little things that make the greatest difference.

1. Offer room for growth. If an employee knows there's somewhere to grow, the motivation to work hard, be recognized, and possibly take on new roles and responsibilities will likely remain high. Make sure they know they'll be rewarded in some way for putting in the time and effort. It's also important to regularly invest in virtual professional development workshops, webinars and courses.

2. Recognize the good stuff. According to Sharefile, 69 percent of men and 64 percent of women feel valued by their employers. Whether you hold weekly Zoom department meetings or monthly virtual company meetings, reserve a time to share everyone's successes. Give employees a chance to show some love to other employees who did something great!

3. Bring employees closer to the decision-making process. This isn't to say employees need to be involved in every choice you make, but including them where you can shows you value their opinion and trust them to put forth work that aligns with your company's mission and values. Even asking a simple question about their latest work can be effective.

4. Encourage the use of vacation time. According to National Plan for Vacation Day, 52% of American employees ended 2018 with unused vacation time, equaling 212 million forfeited vacation days annually. Whoa. But why does this matter? Americans taking all or most of their vacation days to travel show greater evidence of career success—and enjoyment. Those who travel with all or most of their time are 28% happier with their companies and 24% happier with their jobs than those who travel with little to none of their vacation days. Even if travel in the way we're all used to isn't yet possible, encourage employees to take time for a fun staycation and self-care.

What are some of your favorite ways to show employees they're appreciated?

Written by Sarah Suydam, Staff Writer for Groups Today.