1st Friday in March International Employee Appreciation Day
I never knew there was an official Employee Appreciation Day on the 1st Friday in March.
I tripped over it by accident somewhere. That would apply to many of us I suppose. It made me think—what a pity it is that we need an official day to remind us to thank people and praise them for their achievements.
It’s also brought back memories of many times in my early working history when I was totally demotivatedbecause my efforts were not recognised. I ended up with an attitude of ‘Why should I bother—no-one notices…’. Those experiences taught me how to be a good leader.
So many managers only show appreciation to their staff once a year: during performance appraisal interviews, or only if they’ve made a spectacular contribution.
According to a 2012 Globoforce Motivation Worldwide study, 78% of employees would work harder if their efforts were recognised. 81% claimed recognition made themmore satisfied with their work or with their position in the company.
Employee appreciation is important for retention.
Highly motivated staff leads to higher retention rates, reducing your recruiting and training costs, better quality control and problem solving strategies, and therefore a better bottom line.
Good leaders (and good parents for that matter) understand the importance of frequent positive feedback, for small ‘wins’ or special efforts made. Praise is one of the best ways to motivate and build a strong, well functioning team within a positive workplace culture. Are you a good leader?
While we’re on the subject, are you a good team member? Are you a joy to work with because you appreciate people, not only when they go out of their way to help you, but on a moment-by-moment basis?
Showing appreciation is a core component of good management.
Employee appreciation helps with morale.
Here are four tips to remember when you show your appreciation to team members:
1) Give immediate feedback
Give feedback as soon as you notice it, before you forget and the employee no longer relates your praise to the specific incident. How long does it take to say ‘Thank you for trying’, or ‘You did a great job with…’?
Be specific. Mention the particular behaviour, when you noticed it happening, and explain the results. Perhaps a process was improved or a client relationship enhanced as a result of a person’s efforts. Keep it sincere and specific and you won’t sound gushy and sleezy.
2) Ask for feedback
Allowing people to be involved in decision-making or problem-solving has several rewards. It makes them feel they count and are valued, it increases their understanding of management decisions, and it increases their commitment to a procedure because they’ve been part of developing policy.
How can I show more employee appreciation?
Employee involvement also makes for better management decisions. Since they are the ones doing the work, they are able to have insights that management may be too far removed to realise.
If they come up with an idea that is not possible to implement for some reason, be sure to acknowledge their initiative for thinking in a problem-solving mode, otherwise you’ll stifle their willingness to keep coming up with ideas.
I’ve always asked my staff for feedbackabout my leadership style. Try asking ‘What would you like me to do differently so that we can work better together?’ This question puts us on an equal footing. It shows I respect their style and want to adapt to their needs, not only expect them to adapt to mine.
3) Praise in public, coach in private
Nothing makes a person swell with pride more than being praised in front of others. Others will be motivated to gain equal praise from you. However, if you need to provide some personal coaching, do that privately.
4) Keep praise completely separate from negative feedback
There is a common formula for providing criticism, which is to sandwich the criticism in between two compliments. It sounds something like this: ‘You’re a terrific worker, but here’s what you’re doing wrong…but I have faith in you…’
I strongly disagree with this method. It means when you’re giving a compliment, people are waiting for the negative feedback. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Avoid the classic ‘praise-criticism-praise’ sandwich approach. It diminishes the value of your praise, because people think you’re saying something nice only to soften your criticism.
Don’t keep employee appreciation for just one day a year.
Showing appreciation is a core component of good management. Make it part of your natural leadership style—daily.
Watch for another blog on how to give negative feedback constructively.
I’d love to know what you think of what I’ve said here.
You can give me your feedback, ask a question by email or post a comment below.
If you or someone you know would like a personal consultation, please call +61 439 969 081.
