How to Make Your Employees Feel Appreciated

Making employees feel like they have real value to a company can be difficult, especially on a budget. However, appreciated employees often are more productive and do more to ensure that they, and the company, succeed. Satisfied employees also tend to take fewer sick days and are generally happier in the workplace, creating a positive and productive environment.

One way to show an employee appreciation is being very intentional with requests and conversations. For instance, making an employee feel like they are irreplaceable to a company is a great way to make them feel invaluable and like a legitimate contributor. Approach appreciated employees by giving them tasks and following up to praise a job well done. If the employee is very detail-oriented, state that he’s being assigned to a task because he’s the only employee with such attention to detail.

Even appreciated employees face many challenges with feeling mentally stimulated throughout the day. If a company isn’t giving employees meaningful work, those employees can feel undervalued or as simple worker bees. Appreciated employees should receive a mixture of grunt work and meaningful challenges—without a good balance, most companies can lose top-performing employees to competitors who offer more substantial work.

Remember to thank employees. Satisfied employees feel like part of the team because of the work they do and the contributions they make. By thanking them for their hard work or time, a company can ensure that no employee is left feeling unnoticed or unimportant. Companies might even improve company culture by throwing appreciative office parties or hosting recognition ceremonies. Work can often be a thankless place, especially in the midst of busy projects, but companies may see an increase in employee morale when managers and supervisors take the time to say thanks.

Finally, remember that appreciated employees are people, too. They should be treated as individuals who each have their own needs and desires and as people who each bring something different to the table. Don’t lose the meaning of individual rewards by rewarding an entire group; office pizza parties can be a lot of fun, but appreciation for a single person can easily be lost in this type of event. Instead, when recognizing individuals, consider ordering a special lunch for them or simply pulling them aside to tell them what a great job they did.

Appreciated employees are both satisfied and productive in the workplace. When a company goes out of their way to ensure that employees are happy and mentally stimulated, they can create a culture that is both positive and personable while still getting necessary work done; they may also see an increase in employee retention, as top performers are less likely to leave due to workplace unhappiness.

Image courtesy of Phil Sexton at Flickr.com