If you have significant goals for your business in 2022, you’re going to need support to achieve them. You need to get your team on board to work hard and be as productive and focused as possible to get where you want to go.
However, it takes more than just expecting big things for your employees. You need to find ways to motivate, inspire, and encourage them, too.
One key element of making this happen is recognizing and rewarding people in ways that are meaningful. There are multiple tactics you can test out in your organization to show your staff members this year that you value and appreciate them.
Thank People in a Heartfelt Way
Firstly, many leaders underestimate the value of simply thanking workers for their efforts and the fantastic results they achieve. A heartfelt acknowledgement like this goes a long way to make people feel seen and valued and can make a world of difference to how committed and productive they become as a result.
Where possible, have a face-to-face conversation with people to let them know what you’ve noticed and appreciate about them. Failing this, a well composed handwritten note or a comprehensive email is an option, as is a message on a video conference or a phone call.
Alternatively, you could thank people in a public way, such as at a team meeting, in front of the person’s peers, or on a company intranet or social media page, in a newsletter, at a conference or other event, and the like. Social recognition makes people feel good and shows the rest of the workforce that you care about your employees, which is an added bonus. Check out Workhuman for more tips and ideas for recognizing workers publicly in effective ways.
Hand Out Awards
Another way to provide some helpful recognition to your workers is by way of awards. Handing out prizes, trophies, certificates, plaques and the like to top achievers every month, quarter, or year is a great way to shine a spotlight on those in your team who have gone above and beyond, produced amazing results, supported their colleagues, or otherwise made a big difference to the results of the company and its culture.
You might decide to set up a reasonably structured Employee of the Month program so that you have a way to acknowledge someone each and every month, or you might prefer to give out awards on a more ad-hoc basis as you think the work JUSTIFIES it.
Keep in mind, too, that it pays to have a peer recognition option so that employees can also choose someone to receive an award, as this often means even more to staff members. Just make sure you have some guidelines in place around this so it doesn’t simply become a popularity contest or the same people get given awards by their colleagues every time.
Present Gifts and Approve Some Perks
It pays to present your top workers with special gifts here and there too. While you can provide cash bonuses or give people a raise, you don’t have to go to that much of an expense, either. You can provide employees who are excelling with things like bottles of wine, gift cards, accommodation vouchers, hampers, or look for presents that relate to their specific interests and hobbies, etc.
Also, consider some perks you could approve for your staff members. For instance, you might give people an extra day or two off, provide them with free childcare, healthcare, massages, or meals at the office, or make parking or other transport needs simpler for people. You might like to chat with your team about what types of perks they’d prefer, too, for other ideas or confirmation of what might mean the most to them.
Enable Employees to Develop
Lastly, keep in mind that these days most personnel are just as focused on ways they can develop their skills and further their career than they are on monetary factors. People like to keep being challenged and avoid boredom, and feel a sense of progress in their working life.
As such, pay attention to give people the opportunity to advance at the company by getting promoted or simply trying various roles around the company to get a better feel for how the organization works and what they might enjoy doing.
You could send people off to attend events, such as representing the company at a trade show or presenting at a conference. You could pay for them to complete workshops or courses or bring in experienced speakers to educate, motivate, and inspire them, too.
Recognizing your staff members doesn’t have to cost you a huge amount or be a never-ending thing, but it is something well worth investing in as soon as possible and in the most strategic ways you can. Start thinking today about what you can do to show your employees you value them in 2022 and beyond.
