Tip your hat: Appreciate your employees

A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected!

A solid foundation of a relationship may be at work or personal life is built through appreciation. It brings in a sense of trust and a factor that motivates individuals to put more effort. I encountered this in a recent instance I came across wherein, In my first organization, we had been given the task of conducting an event, with a one day notice.  We were a team of three. Each one of us worked hard, burned the midnight oils, one of them even canceled a pre-planned family event to give his whole self for the project!

Strategies to appreciate your employees

Let me tell you, it was a tedious job and a hectic time, having to go through every single detail, with a team of three. Say, designing the digital invitations, taking care of each guest and preparing to host the event all by ourselves, you can imagine! Finally, the day was here. We were ready with everything, and it went smoothly. It did. We were happy. There was not one mistake to be found in any aspect of the organization. 

At the end of the day, I was tired. I was about to head back home when my team members decided to stay for some more time, expecting some acknowledgment. Our team leader, who assigned the duty, was walking towards us, and I was happy to wait with them. We thought we expected too much when he was reluctant to say anything nice. Instead, all we got to hear was “We have an early meeting at 11 am to be attended” That’s it! For a minute we three just kept staring at each other to assure if what we heard was all!

Honestly, this was not the feedback that we expected, and for a fact, we knew we deserved better. My colleagues were furious and merely had regret for the effort they had put in. They were unhappy for sacrificing their family time, for nothing. Not even a good word. This was the first hands-on experience I had, which made me realize the importance of appreciation. One word of recognition, or a single phrase, “good job”, might have made all the difference. 

Appreciation is crucial to foster positive relationships with the employees in the workplace. It is the key driver to the engine of an individual's productivity. We can relate to it in the previous instance I expressed, where only if our leader had one word of appreciation, each one of us would have put more effort the next time any task was given to us. The next aim would be to hear something more than “Good Job”. Appreciation is always the main ingredient in the recipe for employee motivation. We should always be thoughtful of the fact that the employees are the face of the organization. Not appreciating them, or not keeping them motivated, can lead to huge repercussions which might be even a huge increase in turnover rates. Recognizing outstanding achievements with quality custom awards can go a long way in boosting employee morale and loyalty.

Appreciation is always the main ingredient in the recipe for employee motivation. We should always be thoughtful of the fact that the employees are the face of the organization. Not appreciating them, or not keeping them motivated, can lead to huge repercussions which might be even a huge increase in turnover rates.

Appreciation is a very small act that has a very huge impact.

Lastly, I would like to share a life-changing instance that I experienced. As a kid when I cooked something for the very first time, it was not the best, obviously. My father took the next step of appreciating me for the effort that I had taken, to try something new and told me it was the best he’d had. My hero had recognized me, and it gave me enough reason to believe in myself, even after I tasted it and found out it was terrible. This experience instilled the determination in me to be better at it. 

The next time I made the very same dish, both of us were proud of it. The honest review for my first dish was that it was simply bad. My father believed in me and it made all the difference. His simple act of appreciation had changed my perspective on cooking. I was happy that I was trying the difficult art it is, despite the challenges. 

Eventually, adulting happened, and I was part of the workforce community. The idea of recognition is the same. When I joined my present organization, I came across a beautiful concept that I have never seen anywhere else. The recognition wall!  Anyone can recognize any other person for the good work they did. This means I can recognize my leader for showing me the right path to success, and my leader can appreciate me for a little task that I completed in a day. The kind of energy boost that I get, while I get a simple “great work” on my wall is indescribable.

After all,

The biggest craving of human nature is to be appreciated.

Employees of this age have numerous options as to where they can lend their talent.
It is for employers to understand that it is an employee-centric world. And retaining the best talent is the key ingredient for organizational success.
Employee recognition is the most economical long term investment that you can make for your workforce on this employee appreciation day!!

Recognize your employees and appreciate your employees for their good deeds and hard work with peopleHum.