Meaningful appreciation all year round

The importance of giving meaningful appreciation at work cannot be underestimated. But very often, employers fail to understand what meaningful appreciation actually is. While many managers may feel that their employees are motivated by salary and bonuses, this is not the case. Money really is not the thing people desire the most to feel appreciated and valued. If you take a look at the renowned 1940s psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you can see that salary really just scratches the surface. What’s much more important to employees is appreciation, respect and yes, even love.

While February is of course the month of love, like in every relationship, love shouldn’t be reserved for just one day a year, or indeed a few. Instead, employees should be given meaningful appreciation at work all year round.

The reasons for doing so are simple: your workforce will feel valued and as a result you’ll enjoy a much happier and productive team. There’s lots of research to suggest that happier employees work harder. In fact, in our National Employee Survey, 72% of employees stated that they would work harder if they were appreciated.

So, let’s have a look at some simple ways you can give employees meaningful recognition at work.

Say thank you

It’s sounds simple, but too often employers forget to say thanks. If someone’s gone above and beyond for the company, let them know how thrilled you are. Likewise, recognise the employees who put in a good day’s work day in, day out. A simple thank you really can go a long way.

With Each Person, employers can give employees meaningful appreciation at work in the form of ecards - digital thank you cards, which are sent via email. Colleagues can also send ecards to each other, helping to  promote a culture of recognition within the business.

Recognise often and in a timely manner

If you’re well aware that you don’t dish out enough praise, make it your mission to do it more often. Why not set yourself a reminder to think about employees who deserve to be recognised each week? It’s also important that praise is timely. Praise that is given only once a month for example can come across as less authentic than a pat on the back after a gruelling day’s work.

Recognising  an employee’s birthday and work anniversary should also be done in a timely manner - rather than remembering a few days down the line. With Each Person, with our easy to use reporting dashboard, we can provide you with reminders about special occasions to ensure you don’t miss the opportunity to let employees know you’re thinking of them.

Reward them

If someone has really gone above and beyond - a thoughtful reward could also be given. But, it’s important that managers do not take a one size fits all approach. Afterall, each employee is different, so what might appeal to one employee, may not feel valuable to the next. Get to know employees, their interests and what makes them tick.

With Each Person, managers can attach the epoints currency to ecards as a special reward. There  are almost 200,000 rewards to choose from. Plus - importantly, rather than simply giving your staff a cash reward or a voucher, with epoints, they'll also be able to get an extra 10% off the retailer price - with no compromise on returns, guarantees or delivery. Proving to be a better present than the humble gift card, epoints allows employees to choose their own rewards that they personally find valuable.

The Each Person employee reward and recognition scheme is free for employers to implement in their organisation and includes a wide range of benefits, including non monetary value ecards and the ability to add epoints as a reward. For more information, contact us today.

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