13 Ways to Show Your Employees Some Love

 

With National Employee Appreciation Day happening soon, showing employees they’re valued is top of mind.  The employee experience isn’t just about milestone service awards and annual performance reviews. It is about making sure your employees feel valued, appreciated, and nurtured. To truly create a culture of appreciation, recognition, and fun need to be an everyday part of your workplace.

Here are a few ways to show your employees some love:

 

Give the Gift of Gear

According to the National Retail Federation, the U.S. is expected to spend a whopping $19.6 billion on gifts for our loved ones this 

Valentine’s Day. With all that money floating around, make sure your employees are receiving the same love. Create a culture of employee appreciation by gifting some fun swag to your team. Logo’d water bottles, a company jacket, or even a branded pop socket will leave your employees feeling appreciated and more connected with your company. Branded items are a great way to not only give as a gift, it helps tie your brand to your employees, and it’s a way to further your company’s reach as well. Having brand ambassadors for your company is an excellent thing for your organization as well!

Breakfast (or any food) is Always a Winner

Donut know what you would do without your great coworkers? Show them the love by bringing in breakfast like bagels, fruit or donuts to brighten their day (bonus points if they’re heart-shaped!). Their productivity will thank you, and it’s is a quick, easy, and inexpensive form of peer recognition. Making it a great option that’s generally low in cost but something everyone will appreciate.

 

DIY Coffee Bar

What goes well with donuts? Coffee! As a special treat, bring in or set up a luxury coffee bar and let employees be their own barista! They can make a beverage to their taste, or even try something new, all without waiting in line or spending extra money.  Everyone benefits from this extra boost!

 

Color Me Recognized

What colors stand out most when you think of Valentine’s Day? Red and pink of course! Help your employees get in the spirit by having a wear red dress-up day. Recognize the participants with an online badge or a point card on your Carousel platform.

 

Start the Love during Your Onboarding Process

Creating a positive employee experience isn’t just about making sure there are plenty of pizza parties (although they never hurt). The employee experience begins Day One with onboarding. Especially around this time of the year, make sure your new employees feel loved by asking them about themselves, and take time to listen to their responses. Then, have their favorite snack or a book in their favorite genre waiting for them at their desk on their first day.  Create engagement employee experience from the very beginning.

 

Give the Gift of Time

With a holiday all about love, it is no secret that the present employees want the most is extra time to spend with their loved ones. Grant that wish by allowing your employees to leave the office a few hours early, or take an extra-long lunch to celebrate the day.

 

Coordinate an Off-site Activity

Looking to bond with your coworkers? An off-site activity such as bowling, a lunch out, or even a happy hour can help to improve friendships among peers and contribute to positive employee experience. One of the most significant indicators of engagement among employees is having a close friend at work. By coordinating off-site events, you’re fostering an environment for friendships to form, that might not otherwise happen. Interacting with our co-workers outside of the workplaces provides a different perspective.

 

Find Out Your Language of Appreciation

With the leading cause of turnover being due to a bad relationship with your manager, it is no wonder that communicating effectively with your employees can have an immediate impact on employee engagement. Have everyone in your company take a Language of Appreciation test and report the results to their supervisor. Not only will managers be able to recognize their direct reports more effectively, but employees will feel recognized too!

 

Create a “Why I Love My Team” Board for All to Fill In

This fun tip allows your employees to feel appreciated and share that appreciation with their coworkers too. This can be done using just a dry erase board. Write a few of the reasons YOU love your team, and then leave out fun colored markers for your employees to add their own reasons! This peer recognition also provides great benefits by building relationships among coworkers Check out more benefits of peer-to-peer recognition!

Handwrite Notes of Gratitude

Handwritten notes remain one of the most valued types of employee recognition. Take the time to handwrite a note to your employees, letting them know what you value about them and how they have positively affected you. This is sure to leave them feeling loved and appreciated!

 

Have Some Fun with Board Gaming

During a break or an extended team lunch have everyone bring in a favorite board game and share with the team. Not only will your employees appreciate the extra time to relax, but they will also work on their team-building skills.

 

Give the Gift of a Night Out

Movie tickets or a gift card to a local restaurant are a great way to let your coworkers know you care about them and their happiness, both inside and outside the office.

 

Get some Pinspiration
Need more ideas?  Pinterest is one of the best places to get ideas for cute, low-cost, and clever employee recognition ideas. Check out MTM’s Pinterest boards for even more ideas on how to show your employees some love!

 

We know that employees who feel valued and cared about perform better at work and are less likely to be job searching. No recognition effort is too small, in fact, it’s the small things that can mean a lot to an employee.

We specialize in helping organizations like yours ensure the employee experience is a great one. Contact us for guidance!