I was recently having a conversation with a friend who was telling me that her boss is constantly assigning her tasks that are above and beyond her job responsibilities. While my friend is perfectly capable of performing these tasks she feels that her boss doesn’t appreciate all that she does for the organization.
Now the question I asked my friend was, “Does it make you feel good that your boss is confident that you can get the job done?” To which my friend responded with, “I don’t care, I simply feel underappreciated as my boss never thanks me for going above the call of duty.” To which I responded with, “Point taken.”
So if you’re a manager here are five easy ways to show your employees you appreciate them:
- If you see it, say it! Just like you do when you’re in the airport or riding the subway—if you see something, say something, never let an employee’s job well done go unrecognized.
- Don’t hold your team back. Provide opportunities for advancement for those who you manage. Sharing these opportunities with your team will show them that you appreciate them, want them to succeed, and see that they have the potential to get ahead.
- Budget for bonuses and raises. If your organization is structured in a way where there is not a place for your employees to advance, showing your appreciation through bonuses and raises sends the message that your employees are doing a good job and should keep it up.
- Be honest! Simply keeping your employees in the loop will make your team feel respected and important in the workplace. If you hold back information, your employees may see that as insulting—especially if what you’re holding back may be keeping them from succeeding in their jobs.
- Allow your team the opportunity to learn (and fail). Assigning projects to staff to complete on their own shows that you are confident they can handle the job. Micromanaging or hovering over your employees makes for a tense and insecure workforce, but allowing employees to take responsibility for something (even if they fail) gives them the opportunity to learn and grow in their career—making them feel like they are a valuable asset to the organization.
Now, here’s the tricky part. Everyone responds to different things and what might make one employee feel valued, might not do the trick for another. That’s why this is one of our favorite interview questions (added bonus it can tell you A LOT about a person), “What makes you feel appreciated as an employee?”
Some may say money, others gifts and for others a simple “thank you” will suffice, but remember—each employee will feel appreciated by different things, so remember what each employee prefers in order to maintain a happy workforce.
