How to Demonstrate Employee Value

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Yes, it takes commitment, but the challenge isn’t as tough as you might expect. Employees who have confidence in the company leadership, share the vision and feel valued are more engaged and stimulate positive company morale. Here are 5 ways to make a great start.

Communicate:

From introducing a new employee to your company’s mission, values, and purpose to creating and keeping engagement among your staff, communication is essential. And, it’s more than making sure the memos and updates about logistics go out. It includes:

  • • Ensuring that everyone connected to a project receives all the pertinent information.
  • • Putting some fun and creativity in memos, notifications, etc. Why not add a cartoon to the bottom of updates?
  • • Stopping at cubicles to say hi and ask how an employee’s day/week is going.
  • • Seeking, listening to, and respecting your employees’ feedback concerning projects. (Employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work, and 40% of highly-engaged employees receive weekly feedback.)
  • • Listening. Listening. Listening. It’s an essential component of great communication.

Create Connections:

Develop a mentor program within the ranks and encourage fun work relationships among your employees. Take time to “play” a little each day. Sure, some companies have workout rooms, table tennis tournaments, and other large scale options, but that isn’t a prerequisite for fun. “Play” is an attitude or mindset.

  • • Share a company trivia site. Put the names of employees who participate in a once/week drawing for a token gift card to your local ice cream shop.
  • • Have a small stuffed company mascot. Hide it in a department. If they find it, it’s their job to hide it in another department. Whichever department ends up with it on Friday . . . well, make it a fun “penalty.”

There’s a multitude of simple, inexpensive ways to create fun on the job and encourage employee engagement.

Express Appreciation:

Recognizing your employees’ attitudes, contributions, innovativeness, and daily commitment, etc. is vital.  Express your appreciation in words – both written and verbal– as well as intangible thanks will give a boost to employee engagement and morale. Some ideas include:

  • • Verbal appreciation – in person or via a phone chat. Be genuine, personal, and specific.
  • • Written appreciation – send an email, text, or better yet a thank you card. Once again, be genuine, personal, and specific.
  • • Gift cards, an occasional early leave on Friday, free food – from a snack tray to a department lunch . . . There are many ways to express appreciation.

Recognize Employee Value:

Recognizing your employees’value -their talents and contributions is a key factor. (27% of employees who leave, do so because of lack of recognition) Substantiate your recognition with:

  • • Opportunities to learn new skills and move upward within the company. (42% of employees say learning and development is the most important benefit when deciding where to work)
  • • Increased responsibilities – without micro-managing. Letting them rise to the task expresses your confidence and trust in them and encourages innovation and creativity.
  • • Assign responsibilities that align with their interests and abilities.

Make Giving Back a Company Thing:

Your employees want to make a difference – especially within the community, but also globally.  Make giving back ad “team project.” Nothing boosts morale like knowing you have helped someone else.

  • • Get involved in a local work project: For example, plan a Saturday where your team participates in a habitat for humanity. One company built a pavilion along their local river greenway. The company supplied the lumber, and the employees supplied the labor.
  • • Sponsor a little league team or a dream team for handicap children and encourage employees to attend a game, treat the players, or sponsor an end-of-season picnic.
  • • Join in a global charity drive like the Marine’s Toys for Tots.
  • • Hold a company bake sale to raise funds for a charity – let your employees vote on which charity.

Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person and values who they are, as well as what skills and input they bring to the table are productive, find increased job satisfaction and are more loyal to their employer. In other words, they are engaged employees, and company morale is up, which all adds up to increased profitability.

At Award Staffing, we recognize the value of our staff and our temps. Because we do, you can count on the talent we place in your business. Our mantra is work hard, have fun, and be nice. It makes a difference you can’t get along without. Contact us today.