5 Benefits of Recognizing Your Employees

The proof is in the bottom line–positive work cultures are more productive, have less turnover, and attract great talent. When it comes to creating a positive work culture, the secret is simple. Recognize your employees for the work they do and celebrate their accomplishments and milestones.

With National Employee Appreciation Day coming up on Friday, March 5, it's a great time to take a moment and look at the benefits of recognizing your employees. Here are our top five benefits to employee recognition for your business.

Healthy employees are happy employees

Even before the pandemic, ensuring your employees have the time and resources to focus on their health demonstrates your commitment to fostering a healthy work environment. Many businesses offer health spending accounts to support their employees with covering the costs of gym or yoga studio memberships, exercise and sporting equipment, or massages. Even a small health spending account can inspire your team to try a new activity or rediscover a sport they enjoyed in the past. 

Recognizing your employees' accomplishments in sports is also a great way to not only celebrate them but help connect your team. If you have an employee who completes a race or an employee softball team wins a great game, celebrate those wins across your company to foster conversations between your employees. 

When employees feel appreciated, they tell their network

Your best recruitment tool to attract qualified candidates is an army of happy, engaged employees. According to a recent article from the Harvard Business Review, businesses with highly engaged employees received 100% more job applications than those who reported unengaged employees.

Recognizing your employees' milestones with a simple note, a company-wide email, or a beautifully curated gift box are great ways to show your appreciation. Engaged and appreciated employees are more likely to share with their coworkers and share with their networks on social media and in day-to-day conversations. Seeing that your business takes employee recognition seriously is the best free advertising your recruitment team could ask for.

We see the impacts of employees feeling appreciated when they share photos on social media. Thank you to the Hyper Hippo team for sharing this awesome photo from their holiday gift boxes!

Reduce employee turnover with recognition

Recent research has shown that workplace stress and lack of recognition can increase voluntary turnover by almost 50%. The costs to recruit, hire, and onboard new employees can be expensive. Losing an employee costs you even more in negative reviews that they share with friends and on company review sites. 

The simple act of recognizing your employees' professional or personal milestones can significantly increase overall job satisfaction. This satisfaction leads to reduced turnover and happier employees–two great benefits that help your bottom line and contribute to strong company culture.

Recognizing your employees also has a benefit on productivity. According to a survey from OfficeVibe, 69% of employees said they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized.

Create bonds between employees

Whether your employees are working from home, working safely in the office, or a combination–finding ways to bolster existing relationships and create new ones is critical to building a strong company culture. When you recognize employees for their personal and professional milestones, you give them an opportunity to share with their team.

From noting an employee's work anniversary to celebrating a new family member's arrival, employee recognition is an opportunity to get your employees talking with each other. This is even more important with teams that are working from home or working remotely. Finding ways to spur new conversations on Slack, Google Chat, or Microsoft Teams can be difficult. But opening a gift celebrating a milestone is an excellent call to action to share.

Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day every day

Employee Appreciation Day on Friday, March 5 is a great day to celebrate your employees' accomplishments and milestones. There are so many ways to show your appreciation:

• Send a personal note to an employee thanking them for their work

• Send out a company-wide email recognizing your team

• If possible, provide a half-day for your employees

• Send a gift card for a food delivery service–especially one that supports locally-owned restaurants

The most important thing is to start building employee appreciation and recognition into your day-to-day operations. Every day is an opportunity to celebrate your employees' milestones and create a culture where employees feel appreciated. They'll be more likely to recommend your company as a great place to work, they'll be less likely to look for work elsewhere, and it will create an environment where people look for ways to contribute above and beyond the norm.

Our Employee Recognition Plans help you with a turnkey subscription box service that celebrates important employee milestones like birthdays and anniversaries all year round. Message us today to learn more.

Photo by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash