9 Ways to Recognize Your Employees this Holiday Season

9 Ways to Recognize Your Employees this Holiday Season

9 Ways to Recognize Your Employees this Holiday Season

Employee recognition is constantly evolving in the workplace. Today, it goes way beyond the traditional financial reward for doing a great job. Though employees appreciate a financial reward, it’s a short term solution. Employees need more then constructive criticism and positive affirmation. They not only want to see they are doing a great job, but feel that they are doing a great job.

With the holidays right around the corner, here are 9 approaches to making sure your employees not only see they are succeeding at the workplace, but feel that they are succeeding at work-especially this holiday season.

1. Timely, and in the moment

If you catch an employee off guard and tell them what a great job they are doing right in that moment, it will pay off huge in the employee’s eyes. Now, you by no means have to give recognition for everything. Showing up for work on time is more expected then rewarded. But when someone comes up with a great idea or turns in a well-thought out report, telling that employee what a great job they did will be just enough for them to feel recognized.

2. Recognize a goal

Smaller successes are great to recognize, but it matters to recognize the larger ones too. By understanding and recognizing your employees extra efforts that helped the business succeed, it will resonate in a big way to that employee and the department.

3. Appropriateness

The volume of recognition should match the scale of how big or small the accomplishment was. Recognition should match up with the efforts and results or else it will muddy the waters of what the employee believes they deserve.

4. Genuine, not generic 

You cannot just send a template email every time an employee does a job well done. The employee will see right through it and not feel the recognition. Instead, they will feel like just another paper pusher. When you genuinely mean and feel the recognition you are giving, it will really resonate with the employee.

5. Value is worth more than money

Employees should know they are valued by how much appreciation you show as opposed to monetary rewards given. Monetary rewards may skew the notion of their value and it’s not always the most effective motivator.  When you treat employees as part of your team and not as just another number, the employee will understand that they are a valued team member of the organization.

Here is a list of other ways to show employee recognition that doesn’t revolve around monetary rewards, but still will make the employee feel recognition for their work and success.

  1. Start an employee of the month program and ask your employees to be the one who nominates the recipient. By having employees choose the monthly winner will make that employee feel more embraced and feel recognized by not only their mentor but their peers as well.
  2. Publish a designated “kudos” section in your employee newsletter. This shows recognition not only within the organization, but to any of the organization’s subscribers.
  3. Next time you hear an employee talk about something they are doing in their personal life- whether it is competing in a race or welcoming a new puppy- be sure to express interest in the topic.
  4. If there was a large goal met within the organization or a department, plan a surprise achievement celebration for the employee or the team. They will feel that all of their hard work was recognized.

There are many ways to make your employees feel recognized, and most of the time it can happen without being tied to monetary rewards. Recognize the small and large accomplishments, be genuine, and remember – it’s ok to celebrate what your employees accomplish at work.

And with the long winter days ahead of us and the holiday spirit right around the corner, employee recognition is one of the greatest ways to make your employees feel thankful for having a great place to call work.

ERC helps organizations retain and engage their talent.

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