If you’re in a job where you never get the sense that your efforts are being recognized, you could start to question why you bother putting in the effort at all. You may even consider leaving in search of a position where your efforts are valued more highly by coworkers. As a business owner, this is the last thing you want because a loyal workforce is essential to success. There are a few things you can do to make them feel appreciated, which is necessary for this to happen.
This is a contributed post. Please refer to my disclosure for more information.
Talk To Them
A simple conversation can go a long way toward making your staff feel like they matter to you. Talking about work is fine, but going the extra mile requires asking them about their interests and hobbies. Ask them about their lives outside of work, including their families, interests, and where they live. Try to recall what they said and bring it up in conversation when you next speak to them. This will demonstrate your attentiveness and retention of the information given.
Off-site events provide an opportunity to socialise with employees and build rapport with those under your supervision. The purpose of these outings is to learn more about your team’s dynamics and capabilities while also having a good time and possibly being rewarded for it. Make time for team-building events when you can, as it can make a big difference in how valued the workers feel.
Praise Them
It’s all too easy to accept someone’s wonderful work and then give them something else to do without saying anything (if anything). However, this will not make them feel valued and may even lead them to believe that you are taking them for granted. As a result, whenever an individual does something positive, praise them. This could be as simple as saying congratulations and acknowledging that they have accomplished something, or it could be as elaborate as including the good work in a newsletter or awarding employee of the month or something similar.
You can also share positive client feedback about a team member. Although receiving praise from a manager is wonderful, receiving it from someone outside of the organisation might be even more rewarding.
Train Them
Staff training benefits both employees and businesses. When considering whether or not to invest in employee training, companies can easily get caught up in rationalisations about the time and money required.
However, the returns on investment in staff education far surpass the expenses. Organisations that don’t invest in employee training are missing out. You shouldn’t pass up a simple chance at long-term business success. Your employees are no different from you in wanting to be appreciated. Investing in their professional growth, starting with an onboard LMS, not only makes them more valuable to the company, but also boosts morale and loyalty among staff members. That bodes well for their desire to be employed by you over the long haul.
Give Them Challenges
An alternative way of demonstrating appreciation for an employee’s contribution to the company is to put them to the test. If they aren’t happy with their work because they’re bored, they may still want to look elsewhere, even if you give them easy tasks to complete all the time. By trusting them enough to ask them to do something outside of their normal responsibilities, like obtaining shipping prices or cold calling customers, or even designing a page on the website, you will show them that you appreciate them. In addition, they will acquire fresh knowledge, which is never dull and, as we’ve mentioned above, will increase their loyalty.
Provide Meaningful Work
Depending on their personal preferences, values, and career aspirations, every worker has a unique definition of what motivates them to produce their best work each day.
Think about putting teams in the spotlight to help people understand what each group or department does. You could do this through company emails, a newsletter, or by talking about teams’ accomplishments at meetings. Also, look for ways to give your employees meaningful work, like giving a project lead position to an employee who wants to move up to a management position.
Prioritise The Work-Life Balance
The work-life balance is often related to how well employees do their jobs and how happy they are with their jobs, so putting an emphasis on this aspect of the workplace can have big effects. Keeping a healthy and balanced work environment can lower stress, keep people from getting burned out, save money, and encourage a caring company culture.