By Jason Richmond, CEO & Chief Culture Officer at Ideal Outcomes, Inc.
It’s the first Friday in March and do you know what that means? A growing number of forward-thinking companies know that it’s Employee Appreciation Day, the one day of the year when employers, company leadership, and HR can do something special to show their gratitude for the efforts of their workforce.
But why limit appreciation to one day only? Companies that show appreciation to their employees all year round reap the rewards of higher engagement and increases in the behaviors they want to see, especially those related to your company values. They also reap the benefits of better talent acquisition and retention.
As I write in my book Culture Spark: 5 Steps to Ignite and Sustain Organizational Growth, recognizing employees for living your values is necessary to reinforce them and inspire people to take them to heart. Recognition is an opportunity to reinforce the desired culture of the organization.
Unfortunately, according to Gallup, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days and employees who do not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year. Recognition not only boosts individual employee engagement, but it also has been found to increase productivity and loyalty to the company, leading to higher retention.
Employee Appreciation Day has received some traction, but it is clear a once a year event is not what employees crave. Top companies with thriving cultures realize this and develop strategies to recognize and appreciate the work their teams do, with a dual focus on relevant rewards and fun.
Here are three areas where you can show how much you value your employees:
But why limit appreciation to one day only? Companies that show appreciation to their employees all year round reap the rewards of higher engagement and increases in the behaviors they want to see, especially those related to your company values. They also reap the benefits of better talent acquisition and retention.
As I write in my book Culture Spark: 5 Steps to Ignite and Sustain Organizational Growth, recognizing employees for living your values is necessary to reinforce them and inspire people to take them to heart. Recognition is an opportunity to reinforce the desired culture of the organization.
Unfortunately, according to Gallup, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days and employees who do not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year. Recognition not only boosts individual employee engagement, but it also has been found to increase productivity and loyalty to the company, leading to higher retention.
Employee Appreciation Day has received some traction, but it is clear a once a year event is not what employees crave. Top companies with thriving cultures realize this and develop strategies to recognize and appreciate the work their teams do, with a dual focus on relevant rewards and fun.
Here are three areas where you can show how much you value your employees:
