Make Your Staff Feel Appreciated – 15 Employee Appreciation Ideas to Boost Retention

It doesn’t matter if your team works remotely or comes to the office every day; every person contributing to the company has to feel appreciated.

The culture of appreciation and recognition is important because it boosts engagement and productivity and increases retention.

Of course, we’re talking here about people who have a strong work ethics and take their responsibilities seriously.

Undoubtedly, everyone works ate a different pace and we need to value results, instead of the process or the time it took to finish a project.

Thus, it’s critical to show to those who deliver results that their every effort is appreciated, valued and recognised.

If you’re looking for ideas to implement into your employee appreciation program, here are some of the eBay ideas.

Start a program

If you want to boost retention, morale at the office, and create a culture of appreciation, start by creating a program. Your HR team should be in charge of developing this program, the metrics that will be tracked and how the appreciation and recognition will be shown.

All managers or team leads should be trained to measure and implement rewards system equally and based on professional achievements.

For example, you can boost regular employee engagement with a system of points. These points can be assigned daily and redeemed at the end of the week for a reward. For example, a day off or a spa voucher. 

Notice their personal achievements

Since we spend at least eight hours of our day at work, inevitably, we’ll get to know elements from each other’s personal lives.

This can be another point of appreciation and a moment for praise. For example, when someone becomes a parent, their personal achievement should be celebrated.

Keys to a new house, running a marathon, writing a book, or anything else that is personal can be acknowledged and appreciated.

Again, employees are people, with personal lives and accomplishments and we should share their wins together even if they happen beyond work hours.

Support their professional goals

Support your employee’s professional growth and take interest in their career development. Even if their interests do not involve company’s financial investment, show an interest in their career.

Maybe they could use some external motivation to finally sign up for that creative writing course, and by talking to them; you can push them to take the leap of faith. This simply shows them that you are interested in them beyond their professional persona and their work results. 

Celebrate employment anniversaries

Even though we no longer spend our entire careers at one company, and people are more likely to switch jobs often, we should not forget work anniversaries.

People do switch jobs faster these days, and that’s one more reason to celebrate employment anniversaries.

Maybe someone is thinking of quitting because they feel unnoticed. By celebrating employment anniversaries, people will know that they are being rewarded for staying and contributing to the company. 

Celebrate birthdays

Aside from work anniversaries, birthdays are equally important. The easiest way to celebrate a birthday is to have a cake tradition at the office.

Cakes are fun and it can be a reason for everyone to come to the break room and actually have a break. For those working from home, a readymade gift hamper can be delivered straight to their door.

Add in a personalized message or a hand written birthday card to make this gift unique and make them feel special.

Show appreciation by recognizing that someone doesn’t want to celebrate their birthday publicly

Now, there will be at least one person who doesn’t want to be put on spot at the office. One of the ways to show appreciation is by recognizing that they would not enjoy the attention, the cake and the entire show.

But, this doesn’t mean that their birthday should go by unnoticed. This just means that you want turn it into an office affair.

You can also surprise them with a gift hamper delivered to their door after office hours or send an email wishing them a happy birthday and notifying them that a gift voucher signed by the entire office is slipped under their keyboard. Show appreciation by respecting the diversity and different types of personalities at the office.

Express gratitude for their hard work in person

A simple Thank You still works and will always work. Make your employees know that their work is appreciated, seen and recognised by expressing your gratitude. Say thank you during your one on one meeting.

This will take ten minutes of your time but it will motivate them further and make their day even better. You never know what someone is going through, so maybe these two words are just what they need to hear.

…and throw in a bonus

Let’s be honest, a thank you is necessary, it’s great and you should say it often. But, a well-deserved bonus is even greater.

Financial incentives promote employee retention, boost morale, improve performance and show that hard work is appreciated.

It can be a onetime thing, a pay rise or an end of the project financial incentive. Just make sure they know what the bonus is for and that their hard work is seen.

Pass a trophy around

This one is simply fun and it promotes positive office atmosphere. You can pass the trophy every few months or on a yearly basis.

So, each time a person makes a certain accomplishment, they can be rewarded with a trophy. Then, after a few months another person can be given the same trophy, and the current bearer of the trophy can pass it on with a funny message.

The trophy can be a symbol of hard work and a way for everyone to feel appreciated when they succeed at a certain goal.

Track personal and team wins

In order to reward an individual or an entire team for their accomplishments and their hard work, track their progress.

You can keep a record of a personal or team progress especially if it’s an important project or a goal. You can even use this as a motivational technique if a team faces a setback or the project has to be changed to meet the end goal.

You can lead the entire company now about each team’s progress and maybe even spark a bit of healthy competition at the office. All in all, track both personal and team progress so that you can praise them for their work and show appreciation.

Unique shows of appreciation

You can also adopt a unique approach tailored to each member of your staff. Everyone is different, and you should not use the same approach for everyone.

It’s not about giving the same reward to everyone; it’s about valuing the individual in a unique way. Do your research; find out what each person in your company likes.

You can even ask one of their closest colleagues to be your accomplice and help you find out about their personal preference and what they need to feel appreciated.

While standard shows of appreciation work in most of the cases, sometimes a personalised approach is required.

Treat your staff with something nice just because you can

Sometimes, you want to do something nice for someone just because you can. You don’t need a reason to show how much you appreciate every one of your employees.

It can be an afternoon off on the last Friday of the month. It can be an impromptu pizza hour at the office, just because you didn’t have any birthdays during that month. You can treat your employees without any particular reason and still show them how much you value their dedication. 

Show appreciation by investing in your employees career

Some people are motivated with bonuses, while others add more value to a career-based reward. Some people feel appreciated if they can progress with their career within the same company.

By investing in their career, your business will also benefit a lot. It can be leadership training, a certified course or a class of their choice.

When you invest in your employees, they are compelled to give back by working diligently. It also gives them a sense of personal accomplishment and it also strengthens your company culture because you’ll be surrounded by people willing to grow.

Create your own staff appreciation holiday

Just like you can have an impromptu pizza day or an afternoon off, you can also pick a date in your calendar and schedule your own appreciation holiday.

It can be a special day at the office and a chance for all of you to get together and have fun. This date should be separate from other holidays, like a company anniversary or a New Year’s party. You can also say a public thank you to all your employees during your staff appreciation holiday. 

Spontaneous time-off

Time is the most valuable asset all of us have, so make sure to hand it to your employees. You can give them spontaneous days off after a finished project or when they’ve accomplished something great for the company.

Signing an important client, solving a problem, resolving a conflict within the office,, can be just some of the reasons to give them a day off from work.

In conclusion – Build a strong culture by giving people real voice

Lastly, a strong company culture is built on people who are given a chance to express their voice. So, create a culture where everyone can ask for a personal meeting or share their ideas. This is another way to express your gratitude and value each and every employee.

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