Studies have shown that when employees feel appreciated, respected and valued, they are more motivated and engaged. A motivated and engaged workforce means:

• Higher productivity
• Increased innovation and creativity
• Improved customer service
• Greater morale
• Reduced absenteeism
• Less turnover

Many organizations invest a great deal of time and money into formal employee recognition awards and events, yet a 2016 U.S. survey found that 82 percent of workers feel they are not recognized enough for the contributions that they make.

However, there is one thing that does work – and it costs nothing: feeling appreciated by one’s direct manager. Here are some tips to help make members of your team feel valued:

• Understand your employees. What works for one group may not for another. Who makes up your team? Are they mostly younger, older, male, female? Do they prefer formal rewards, private acknowledgements or public recognition? Ask your team what they would like.
• Recognize, support and mentor every day. Don’t wait for formal company recognition events or performance reviews to tell your employee they’re doing a great job.
• Check in with people regularly. Ask employees how they’re doing, what’s going on in their lives and offer support as much as possible.
• Demonstrate fairness and consistency.
• If you hear a positive comment about one of your team members, let them know. Write a personal thank you note or email and, in cases of exceptional effort, c.c. HR or a member of the senior leadership team.
• Encourage feedback. Ask your team what processes work and what needs improvement. Let them know you are always available to discuss new ideas, tackle problems and offer advice.
• Publicly acknowledge an employee’s idea or accomplishments at staff, interdepartmental and senior leadership meetings.

Recognition should be part of your team’s daily routine. For more ideas on how you can create a positive team dynamic and contact us.