Employee Appreciation–Showing the ones most important to you your gratitude

The most important thing that all small business owners ask me about is making their employees enjoy coming to work without giving them a raise. In many companies large and small if you were to ask employees if they enjoy coming to work probably a few would say no. Surprisingly though if you ask them why it is NOT what you’d expect to hear as a business owner. It rarely has anything to do with employees feeling that they don’t make enough. It is more about how employees don’t feel that they are appreciated or valued for the job that they do.

The more personal touch you can use for employees the better.Most employees are so wrapped up in their work every day they don’t stop to see the contribution they are making to the big picture. How does what they are doing help to make the company more successful or profitable? Sometimes its because they don’t have the ability to see what other people are doing they are so focused on their task. Take time out to show them how they make a difference as an individual. Celebrate the individual more and the work they do.The unbelievable part is the the business owner much more to lose than the employee because of all the time and the money that have invested in the person. The employees gets to take all that knowledge to their next job.
Whoever came up with that line about employees don’t care about the company was somebody that was to scared to share how successful they where in fear that somebody was going to come and take it from them. Share as much as you can with your employees they will appreciate your openness. Being open with those who work for you have great dividends. One the best is the employees feel more responsible for contributing to the bottom line and give more to the company. When you can show them how they make a difference they will want to make more of a difference.

So there are obvious ways to show employees your gratitude

• Find out what hobbies you employees have support them
• Attend their children’s sports games
• Get together for team gathering outside of work to do things like blow off steam or work on team building trust skills
• Take those most important to them out for a night on the town
• When suppliers give promotions or gifts make sure that employees get them as small thank yous
• Sponsor school sports programs of employees children when looking for local promotional opportunities
• Get all employees the “Entertainment Book” as s gift-it will cost about $30 yet it has coupons they can use totaling $1000’s

Lesson — If you don’t start show your employees how extremely grateful in your actions every day you run the risk of them leaving you and taking all their great abilities with them.