Employee Appreciation Time

Now is a good time to remember and appreciate the employees who are working so hard for your company’s success. It’s the time of year when school’s out and any holidays that generate good will and celebration are few and far between. This year, many companies are asking fewer employees to make do with less resources. Which is why it’s the perfect time to show some gratitude for your people.

I just read an article about businesses in New England using food to reward employees. The article itself wasn’t all that great, so I won’t provide you with a link. But there was a quote in it from Paul Baard, a communications professor at Fordham University who researches workplace motivation. He said, food “appeals to our need for relatedness.”

Yes, people need to feel connected. They need to feel part of a community. They need to know that what they are doing day in and day out on behalf of your company is relevant.

Giving food gifts, or “breaking bread” with others, has always been an important and personal form of recognition. It offers a level of genuine connection that cannot be achieved through any other means. So make an investment in the well being of your employees (and your company overall) and show some gratitude.

Rewarding Your MVP

Last night after the Giants won Super Bowl XLII, game MVP quarterback Eli Manning was awarded a Cadillac Escalade Hybrid as a gesture of recognition for a job well done. Who are the MVPs on your team and what are you doing to reward their efforts? I’m not saying you need to give away cars to show your thanks. But your business will benefit when you give some kind of recognition to the people who work with and for you.The other day someone was telling me about an article he read that explained how different generations of employees need different levels of recognition. It said that people over 55 think they’re doing a good job as long as they’re not being yelled at. People ages 35-55 like an occasional pat on the back and acknowledgement of their contribution. And workers in their twenties and early thirties need consistent encouragement and to continually be told how well they’re doing. I don’t know how true or valid these “findings” are, but the bottom line is everyone needs to know they are on the right track.

So whether it’s verbal praise, a box of cookies or a new car, the important thing is to make sure your team players know how valuable they are to the team’s success.