Showing your employees Appreciation at work delivers a lot more than sunshine and all-around good vibes.

It makes good business sense.

Various studies and surveys over the years repeatedly show that appreciating your employees adds to the bottom line in more ways than one.

In a hurry? These are some of our favorite employee reward platforms for showing your appreciation for the employees at your company:

Picture this:

• Employee engagement, productivity, and performance are 14% higher in organizations with recognition programs than those without. A 15% improvement in engagement can result in a 2% increase in profit margins.

• When recognition is an important part of an organization’s culture, employees are nearly three times more likely to feel loyal to their organization.

• Doubling the number of employees being recognized every week can result in a 24% improvement in work quality, a 27% reduction in absenteeism, and a 10% reduction in staff shrinkage (inventory loss due to staff error, theft, etc.)

The verdict?

Appreciating your employees can help develop a positive work environment, boost employee satisfaction, and drive more profit.

At this point, you’re probably wondering how to show appreciation to employees in practical and effective ways that drive the same kind of visible results. We’ve got you covered!

Up next, we’ll list a few unique and creative ways to show appreciation for your biggest business asset — your people.

10 Ways To Show Appreciation To Employees (Top Picks For Teams)

It’s important to keep things fresh and exciting by varying the ways you show appreciation. Words of appreciation shared verbally or through handwritten notes (like thank you notes) are a great no-cost, high-impact strategy to start with. But how about other fun employee appreciation ideas that your team members are just as likely to enjoy, maybe more?

1) Take your entire team out of the office

Why not change the same old scenery for a day? Take your entire team out for an event or trip! Even better, get ideas from your team on what they would like to do the most and plan your trip accordingly.

Why this matters to employees: Going out together as a team gives people the chance to relate to each other without the pressure of performance. Encourage people to relax and enjoy themselves through fun activities and games. Sponsor food and drinks.

Tip: Get buy-in before planning team events away from work. Have a team meeting where everyone can contribute ideas. Consolidate the ideas and then publicly cast votes. The process becomes fair and transparent and team members are more likely to enjoy an event they helped plan.

P.S. Don’t forget to include your virtual/remote employees too!

2) Send everyone an employee spending card

What’s better than free cash? A spending card that says, “you’ve got cash!”

Why this matters to employees: Monetary incentives go the extra mile. Unlike other forms of employee recognition gifts like company swag, for example, a spending card offers flexibility. Your employees are not “stuck” with a commercialized branded gift they may or may not use. They can spend on what they really want.

Tip: Spending cards can be hugely gratifying to receive but also think about using them judiciously as an employee appreciation strategy. On the flip side, they can encourage a sense of entitlement if too frequent or burnout when based on hitting specific targets.

3) Think personalization

Want the insider secret to creating truly memorable moments of appreciation for your employees? Think personalization.

Develop an understanding of your employees one-on-one, so you know what they’ll enjoy as a token of appreciation the most.

Why this matters to employees: The problem with pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach is that you don’t cater to individual likes, dislikes, personalities, or interests. At the end of the day, despite your best intentions, you can end up putting off your employee instead of winning them over.

And, you’ll need employee morale at a high if you want an organization that’s productive and hitting the target goals consistently.

Tip: Employees are no longer seeking life-long stability at work as a means to an end. The key drivers are now value and a sense of purpose. Make sure you value your employees by personalizing gestures of appreciation, like showcasing individual achievements in your next team meeting.

4) Send them employee recognition points

Use a system to assign employee recognition points for the completion of tasks and assignments (bonus points for super achievers!). The employees can then exchange a set number of points for specific rewards or gifts.

Why this matters to employees: Having a points system makes it easy for employees to “see” how their efforts translate to rewards. The higher the points, the bigger the rewards. Having goals to aim for can be highly motivating for your team members.

Tip: Whether you’re a startup, small, or large business, managing a personalized points system can be a challenging experience. Think about using employee recognition software to automate the process and simplify the way you assign points, manage incentives, and reward employees.

Use leaderboards to show your employees how they’re performing in relation to each other, and encourage healthy competition.

5) Let employees choose their awards and rewards

Not all businesses will have the flexibility to fully customize employee awards and rewards in the spirit of personalization. The next option is to develop a list of options and allow employees to choose from these options.

Why this matters to employees: Having options is the next best thing in the absence of customization. Use surveys to gain insights into what your team members would like to receive. Select the most popular options feasible for your business and provide these as choices for your employees.

Tip: Employees feel like they have more flexibility when there are choices. Plus, when you do the research, you can be a lot more confident that your employees love the awards and rewards they’re receiving from you. Happy employees = Happy workplace!

6) Include their wins in the company newsletter or social media

Public recognition is a failproof method you can use to appreciate your employees. Unless they’re a little shy, in which case, opt for a more private form of appreciation, like calling them into your office for a one-on-one. This employee recognition idea is based on the impact that receiving credit can have on employee morale.

Why this matters to employees: With public recognition comes peer acknowledgment. Social sharing spreads the good news about your employees to a much wider audience online, amplifying their accomplishments multifold. Who doesn’t want to be recognized for doing a great job?

Tip: Use your official social media channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., to share a post about your employee’s wins. You can even share a birthday or wedding anniversary note with their profile.

7) Offer mentoring and training opportunities

Once new employees have gotten to grips with onboarding, the job, the environment, and the colleagues, complacency and boredom can start to set in. Unless there is some visible sign of career ascendancy shortly, they can start to grow restless and possibly consider moving elsewhere.

Why this matters to employees: Promotions and incentives can often end up in the hands of the brightest and the most talented. You still want to allow everyone to increase their knowledge, learn new skills, and put themselves in the running for new positions.

Providing avenues for career development can also set your company apart as an attractive option for top talent.

Tip: Provide options for in-house courses or external training. Also, consider mentorship, networking events, and sponsorship of higher education for your best employees. Aside from training, you’re also grooming them to take up higher positions as and when they become vacant.

8) Provide extra time off

Extra time off is always a welcome reward because it helps the employee devote time to the activities they love and enjoy the most.

For some, it could be about catching up on family time to spend with their spouse and/or children or a mini-holiday. While for others, it could be about connecting with friends, working on their hobbies, getting out and about, or simply curling up at home with a good book.

Why this matters to employees: Time is one of the most precious assets your employees have, especially if they work a regular 9 to 5 schedule, are doing a lot of overtime, or are on call.

Having some free time can matter, especially when they’re commuting long hours to get to work and back. Providing extra time off for your employees is one of the best ways to appreciate your employees through tangible rewards.

Tip: Take time to touch base with your team members, so you’re up-to-date on how things are going with them. If you’re doing the walkabout consistently, you’ll be in a better position to identify team members that would genuinely appreciate some extra time off. It also shows you’ve been paying attention!

9) Buy lunch for your team

Who doesn’t enjoy a free lunch!? Sponsoring a team lunch is a great team-building exercise that boosts morale, energizes the team, and expresses your appreciation in a more tangible way for all the great work that’s been done.

Granted, it doesn’t have to be lunch. You can even do breakfast at the local coffee shop or spring a surprise snack box full of goodies when they least expect it in your break room.  Alternatively, host a happy hour inclusive of non-alcoholic beverages.

Why this matters to employees: Sharing a meal fosters teamwork, camaraderie, and collaboration. Plus, staff members will appreciate the boss picking up the bill as an expression of recognition and gratitude for a job (or jobs) well done.

Tip: Shameless plug alert! Looking for snack boxes that are healthy, nutritious, and taste just as good? Try the SnackNation treat boxes that will please even the most discerning of palates. With over 5000 fitness-friendly snack brands offering the most delicious bars, chips, jerky, granola, trail mix, dried fruit, and more for your box, there’s no better way to appreciate your employees!

10) Gift fitness memberships

Provided you’ve done the research into employee preferences for appreciation gifts, fitness memberships can be a great way to motivate your best employees. They also promote a healthy work-life balance which 72% of workers believe is a very important factor when choosing a job.

Wellness benefits are also considered some of the best employee perks you can use to persuade top talent to join your company.

Why this matters to employees: Think of a gym membership as an investment in the employee’s health. When employee well-being is made a key deliverable in company culture, it can make employees feel like the business truly cares about their wellness.

When employees are healthy, less stressed, and overwhelmed by fatigue or burnout, they become more productive and engaged.

Tip: Look at family membership packages if applicable to your specific employee. Look for packages that provide flexibility and customization or reimbursement benefits to make the membership a genuine value-add for your employee.

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People Also Ask These Questions About Showing Appreciation At Work

Q: Why is it important to show appreciation at work?

• A: Showing appreciation to employees at work drives benefits for both the team as well as the company. It’s different from employee recognition which is tied to specific accomplishments. Appreciation is for the person and not the result. It can be a huge morale booster for employees, motivating them to keep up the good work and strive to do better. Staff appreciation contributes to a positive work environment, increases alignment with company values, boosts productivity and engagement, and increases employee retention rates. The positive effects help boost the company’s reputation as an employer of choice and add incrementally to the bottom line.

Q: When should you appreciate employees?

• A: Similar to Valentine’s Day, don’t feel like you need to reserve your appreciation for special occasions like “Employee Appreciation Day.” Harvard Business Review refers to appreciation as acknowledging a person’s inherent value. “The point isn’t their accomplishments. It’s their worth as a colleague and a human being.” As such, make sure to appreciate your employees for their hard work throughout the year. Share positive feedback regularly. Organize shout-outs for small work wins and milestones like birthdays and work anniversaries, and tangible rewards for the bigger accomplishments. Your employees will appreciate both the consistency as well as the effort.

The post How to Show Appreciation to Employees in 2023 + 10 Creative Ways to Do It appeared first on SnackNation.