10 effective ways to appreciate your team

The deepest craving of a human nature is the need to be appreciated – William James.

Everyone feels the need to be appreciated for a good job done. Surveys conducted amongst the employees from time to time shows that the employees who are appreciated and recognised for their work are motivated to work harder and smarter. Successful managers recognise the importance of appreciation in keeping the employees and the subordinates motivated and loyal to the company. Appreciation goes a long way in keeping the employees more efficient at work and also the turnover rates lower. You can hire the best talent from the Best recruitment agencies, but retaining them and keeping them motivated requires showing gratitude and appreciation for the good work done.

There are various ways in which you are appreciate others in your organisation for a good job done. Here is a list of the top 10 ways that you can show appreciation to your team.

1. Say it – A simple ‘Thank You!!’ or a ‘Well Done’ goes a long way in showing that you appreciate the time and effort put in by your team members into the job. It can be done by either verbal or over email or a message. Let the person know you have liked the work and that he is doing a good job and in the right direction.
2. Help them grow – there are other ways to make the employees feel appreciated than just saying thank you. Taking interest in their personal and professional growth can also make them feel they are an important part of the team and make them contribute better to the company. These can be in form of training programmes related to their line of work and even towards some skills to develop their passion.
3. Show them the money – money plays a very important role in showing they are valued and appreciated. Monetary benefits like a one-time bonus or retention bonus over and above the salary can be provided when the employee has done an exceptional job. This also sets a benchmark for the other employees to strive to work harder and smarter.
4. Let everyone know – let the whole team or the whole department know of the achievements of the team members. It can be in form a monthly newsletter or even an informal email. This motivates the entire team to put in their best foot forward.
5. Praise whenever it is deserved – don’t wait for the big results to say “well done!”. Even small steps need appreciation for the team to stay on track and work harder towards to the team goals.

6. Innovative ways to show appreciation – while appreciation letters often do the job, find some fun and innovative ways to keep the motivation levels high. Things like fun contests, competitions like cooking competition, talent shows, etc or special day celebration together like kite flying on Sankranti or dahi handi on Janmashtami. This lightens the environment and makes the employees feel they are part of a team.
7. Team days – special days earmarked for the team to spend time together outside of work. This can be either group lunches, dinner, birthday celebrations. You can surprise your team with a special lunch on achieving sales target on time or over delivering on a said goal.
8. Know your team – Get to know more about them as a person: their likes, dislikes, passions, goals, etc. Knowing that the management is interested in them at a personal level helps the employees feel valued. It also improves understanding within the team and in turn improves efficiency.
9. Take good care of them – take good care of their comfort and well-being at the office by providing them a good work environment physically and mentally. Help them keep a healthy work life balance.
10. Appreciate their time – most often the employees time is taken for granted. Value their time by showing up for meetings on time or keeping it short during meetings. Treat their time with respect.