Large corporations reward employees by offering bonuses and expensive holiday parties around Christmas time.
This is harder to accomplish for small and medium-size companies who don’t have big budgets. However, it is just as important to make employees feel noticed appreciated, no matter what money constraints you have.
Some managers take it upon themselves to reward their employees by spending their own money on celebratory lunches or gifts for holidays and birthdays.
However, not all have the desire nor the funds to do this, either.
If you want to show your employees that you realise they work hard, and want to reward them for it, there are creative ways to show them that you care, such as:
Offer Your Time – While a gift certificate can be costly, your time is not. Most of your staff members would probably be overjoyed to spend one-on-one time with you outside of the office setting. Therefore, a great reward to show your appreciation for the completion of a big project, or for meeting or exceeding a goal, is to invite your employees for a quick cup of tea, or even lunch in the cafeteria in your organisation. While this may cost you a small sum, or nothing at all, this will provide your employee with a unique chance to have your undivided attention. You can spend time mentoring them, or simply providing advice on how to excel in their role. You can also answer any questions they may have, or address any concerns.
Public Recognition – Most individuals thrive on praise and compliments. While you may know that, and make sure to verbalise your recognition directly to each team member, you can take that that step further and make the appreciation public. When a staff truly does a superb job on a task, or goes out of their way to hit a homerun for the company, make that known to all of the employees. For example, you can invite that person to the department head meeting, and voice your gratitude for a job well done in front of the other executives. This will surely make your employee feel very valued and recognised. You can also send out a company-wide email, or just ask the CEO to walk in with you to the employee’s office to thank them for their hard work.
Recognise The Spouse – What many managers don’t take into account when their staff work long hours or come in during weekends is that interferes with their family time. One of the most typical quarrels that couples have at home is about the work-life balance. A husband or wife can get upset if their partner is at the office too much, and is not pulling their weight at home. A great tip for a creative reward after a particularly taxing season is to send a quick note and a possible small gift to the employee’s husband or wife. Recognising the spouse will not only make that individual happy, but will also show your employee that you value their family life, and realise the sacrifices they are making to contribute to the team.
Rewarding employees does not have to be expensive or elaborate. However, it is very important to spend the time to think of creative ways to show them that you care to keep up morale at work.
