Let’s talk staff appreciation ideas that don’t suck. We’ve all successfully survived the first month of 2021, and that in and of itself means that everyone deserves a high five and a flat white (at the very least).
All kidding aside, the amount of pressure everyone’s been under lately is not to be sniffed at. According to recent findings by McKinsey, the working lives of up to 80% of the workforce were materially affected by the pandemic and the lockdown measures that were taken to curb the spread thereof. Things have been fraught, and the tectonic shifts in the workplace has had a marked effect on employee engagement.
One of the most effective ways to address a dip in employee engagement is to focus on recognition and appreciation.
Recognition makes people feel valued, especially when supported with meaningful rewards. This is because our brains have a strong positive response every time we receive a reward. In fact, just the idea of being rewarded stimulates the release of dopamine. However, a reward is most effective when it matters to the person receiving it. This is why a reward should be personal, relevant, and worthy of the effort taken to earn them.
As such, employee rewards and tokens of appreciation should be tailored to each company, and ideally each recipient, in question.
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Here are 10 staff appreciation ideas you can implement at your company without too many hassles in 2021 and beyond:
1. Time with the boss
Schedule one-on-one time with the CEO of the company over lunch, so they can extend their appreciation to the employee in question, in person, and get to know them a little better. This is a great way to shine the limelight on their achievements, and for management to get some valuable insight into what drives their star employees to perform.
2. Treat yourself ‘Reggies Rush’
Treat a well-performing team to a timed ‘treat yourself’ shopping rush at a nearby retail location. Give them each a mall voucher and challenge them to find themselves something cool to buy within a given time frame (e.g. 30 minutes). The rule should be that it has to be something they want (not need). Afterwards, get together and have a little show-and-tell to see what everyone got.
3. Day-to-day peer props
Make it super simple for your employees to give their peers props where props are due. According to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Globoforce, peer-on-peer recognition makes employees feel more satisfied than top-down recognition, and also improves customer satisfaction.
The good news is that digital employee recognition has never been easier, thanks to SaaS-based employee engagement platforms like bountiXP. It is one of the simplest ways to help your business thrive in an age of disruption. The system empowers everyone to nominate a colleague or team to receive a reward for the value they add to the organisation, and enables all team members to send and receive messages of thanks, praise, appreciation and support quickly and easily from a mobile-friendly app.
4. Stripes to earn
If you were in the Cub Scouts or Voortrekkers growing up, you’ll know what a thrill it is to receive a badge of recognition for every new skill learned. Why not bring this tangible appreciation vehicle into the workplace by giving every employee a tie or cap that can be decorated with specially earned badges or pins throughout their employment journey?
5. Opportunities to upskill
These days, most employees see the value of learning a new skill that can help them to be more effective in the workplace. However, online courses and other learning materials aren’t always free of charge. Offer your workforce the opportunity to upskill by collaborating with an e-learning provider, or simply providing them with vouchers for an online training platform of your choice.
6. Stuff that makes their lives easier
Offer your top performers rewards that will make their lives easier – e.g. Uber vouchers to get to work without driving themselves, a prime parking spot super close to the office entrance, or the services of a personal organiser who can help them to organise their home. In the end, a happier, less harried employee counts in your favour as well!
7. Big payment breathers
Another interesting staff appreciation idea is to offer your employee of the month a breather on one of their big recurring payments by having the company cover it. This could be a car payment, bond instalment, student loan debit order, etc. This is a good way to offer a monetary incentive that goes towards something that will improve their lives in the long run.
8. Support for a cause of their choosing
Donating to a cause of your employees’ choosing is a great way to show appreciation while also spreading some love and goodwill in the process. However, you can also go beyond a mere donation. For instance, if your company has a far-reaching digital presence, you could use your social platforms to promote their cause by sharing information on their work with your followers.
9. Time to themselves
Impromptu time off is always nice (imagine getting an email from your boss saying ‘Thank you for all your hard work – it’s a lovely day outside, go enjoy it, we’ll see you tomorrow.’), but some employees may find it hard to take that time for themselves to relax. If this is the case, you might want to give them the option of working on a project of their own at the office, or getting a massage or haircut from roaming masseuse or barber onsite.
10. Unexpected treats served by the higher-ups
Most companies offer their employees a treat or two every now and again – pizza, donuts, etc. However, if you really want to make it count, get your management team (or CEO!) to go around and hand it out personally. Just imagine how cool it would be if they went around with a little ice cream cart on a hot day, or spread some cheer with cacao and marshmallows when the weather turned frosty?
There you have it – a few awesome staff appreciation ideas that will help you start 2021 on the right foot. We’re going to be sharing a whole lot of easy-application employee engagement tools right here in the year to come, so check back soon.
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