A great way to motivate a team and keep them engaged in their work is by showing you appreciate them. Whether it is through gifts or acts of kindness, showing your appreciation for your employees can go a long way towards increasing workplace productivity. Don’t quite know where to start? We’re here with a list of ideas to help you decide what is best for your team.

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Frequent words of encouragement/approval

Employees want to know whether or not they are doing a good job. It is up to you to communicate it to them. It isn’t always about the big gestures, though. You don’t have to spend money or plan a big event just to show you appreciate them. Much of the time, all it takes is a few words of encouragement to keep them on the right track or to reign them in from a slump.

Specific gifts

One of the simplest ways to show you appreciate your employees is by giving them gifts. However, most people think they should just stop at the nearest drug store and buy a couple gift cards. In truth, you can benefit much more from buying specific gifts for each employee on occasion. Employees want to be valued and heard, and gifts unique to their interests or passions is a great way to express your desire to meet their needs. It may cost a little bit more and may take more time to organize than simply bulk-buying gifts, but putting effort into this will show your team that you care.

Events

If you don’t know where to start with specific gifts for your employees, events are a good alternative. By events, we mean pizza parties, dinner at the pub, luncheons, anything appropriate you may think of that includes your entire team. It could be lunch provided by the company, with the restaurant left up to a vote by each employee. Whatever you decide, there is always a fun or delicious alternative.

Recognizing birthdays and work anniversaries

Showing that you appreciate your employees can come in the form of non-physical recognition. You may want to consider celebrating employee birthdays or noteworthy work anniversaries, such as “Mark’s 30th birthday” or “Vivian’s 10th year at the company.” Like we mentioned in a previous point, employees want to feel like they are valued and special. Celebrating employee milestones is a good way to express that you value them.

At Tempstar, we’re all about helping you find and retain top talent in your industry. Contact us today to learn about how we can help you with your staffing needs.