Winston Churchill said it best: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” This brings to mind employee recognition, though the topic is certainly relevant to anyone you encounter.
Here are 10 easy, no or low cost ways to recognize others and demonstrate your appreciation:
- Take her out to lunch.
- Offer to do one of his unpleasant tasks that he would normally have to do.
- Ask him questions about his personal interests and aspirations.
- Send her a thank you card via mail, expressing your gratitude for what she does. Be specific.
- Put up a “You’re Awesome” bulletin board, where staff can pin up words of thanks to their colleagues. Works for the family too!
- Employee Olympics, anyone? What kinds of events or competitions could you create? What kinds of medals and awards would you give?
- Ask the team to give him a standing ovation for a job well done.
- Rotate weekly who gets the “Trophy of Awesomeness” (or whatever you want to call it), based on who went above and beyond the call of duty.
- When did hand-written, honest to goodness, thank you cards go out of style?
- If all else fails, an afternoon off would certainly do the trick.
What do you do for employee recognition? Put your ideas in the comment box below.
And stay tuned for 10 more strategies next week.
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Some other ways to give some recognition is to send a note home to the spouse or significant other to let them know about a nice thing the employee did. Easier for the boss to brag aboutyou than yourself.
You may also give gift certificates for a dinner for two, especially when the employee has been putting in extra time away from home to go the extra mile.
Don’t forget gold stars that might have a cash bonus associated with them at various levels. Start with short intervals like 3 months to be sure you can maintain the system.
What a unique idea about bragging on the employee to those they care about (the spouse, in your example). And cash never hurts either! Thanks for sharing, Ardon.
Invest time in helping your employees craft their professional development strategy / individual development plan and follow up with them quarterly. Nothing says more to an employee than a manager who cares enough to invest time in their development and success.
I couldn’t agree more, Rebecca. Employees do want to feel valued. They do want their opinions and desires to be heard, and to have a manager who cares what they care about. Thank you for your comments.
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing. And I agree with you, written notes will never go out of style!