Would your small business be named one of the “100 Best Places to Work”? If you’ve read about the firms that have received this honor, you’ve probably observed that, regardless of their differences, they all have a culture of employee appreciation.
Employee appreciation is critical if you want to make your small business a wonderful place to work. Regrettably, research shows that businesses with a recognition culture are the uncommon.
Only 25% of respondents in a TINYpulse study with 200,000+ participants reported feeling highly valued at their firm. That means that three-quarters of the workforce is usually underappreciated.
A Recognition Wall Makes Employee Appreciation Easy
If your organization does not have a recognition program, consider implementing one soon. It doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective—and software can help. HR portals with a recognition wall enable managers to publicly commend their team members. This is especially critical if your workers work entirely remotely or on a hybrid schedule. When your team does not share a physical area, you must be deliberate in your communication and engagement initiatives.
Are you a supervisor? Create a reminder to recognize each employee for something special they accomplished in the previous week. At first, it may feel forced and unpleasant. But, as you gain experience in recognizing employees’ contributions, the messages will become more real.
Recognition Lowers Turnover
Several of your employees are probably seeking for work elsewhere right now. Begin expressing gratitude, and they may reconsider. Employee appreciation programs reduce voluntary turnover by 31%. (Deloitte). Consistent, meaningful acknowledgment not only helps people thrive, but it also promotes business success.
Are you a supervisor? Create a reminder to recognize each employee for something special they accomplished in the previous week. At first, it may feel forced and unpleasant. But, as you gain experience in recognizing employees’ contributions, the messages will become more real.
Make Your Small Business a “Best Place to Work”
The first step is recognition. Let us now look at three more criteria of a world-class small business: trust, transparency, and belonging.
Micromanaging Crushes Engagement
In comparison, consider an employee who left a company last month because he was not permitted to use his expertise. “I was hired to take the lead, own my job, and advise the team,” he claimed in the leaving interview. My supervisor, on the other hand, did not trust my knowledge and insisted on constant adjustments.” The individual was hired to make conceptual judgements but was assigned a much less strategic function.
Even in highly regimented jobs, good leaders may foster trust. Begin by including staff in planning and goal setting. With a virtual shift swap board, you can provide them schedule flexibility. Let them to solve their own difficulties.
Trust Employees
Employees must have faith in management and leadership. We’re focusing on leadership trusting employees here. You assigned each team member a task. They won’t own the outcome if you don’t allow them the freedom to do it. Micromanaging saps passion, stifles innovation, and fails to maximize the potential of your personnel. Let your staff to apply their knowledge and creativity. Likewise, allow them to fail quickly and safely. They will never take chances if they do not.
Anonymous Suggestion Box
Some employees may prefer to provide comments anonymously. Employees can provide feedback and comments in a secure environment by using an HR portal with an anonymous suggestion box.
Be Transparent
Employees care about business transparency, if the past few years have taught us anything. Leadership must continuously tell staff, whether the news is good or bad. Most people’s lives are becoming increasingly hectic. When employers are not forthcoming with their employees, it creates another degree of uncertainty. Workers are concerned about return-to-work plans, workplace health and safety, and vaccination and mask regulations.
If your company is failing, your employees may be concerned about being laid off. It’s fine if plans change, but leaders should explain why. Better yet, solicit comments from staff. Even if you are unable to accommodate every suggestion, your staff will value (there’s that word again) being consulted. Consider their suggestions carefully and allow them to develop policies if possible. As previously said, if your organization employs a hybrid or remote work model, you will need to interact more frequently and through different channels.
Foster a Sense of Belonging
Perhaps your organization possesses the aforementioned attributes, yet you have employees who do not feel like they belong. If this is the case, you will not be considered a “great place to work” by them. A sense of belonging is an important component of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
To begin making all employees feel like they belong, hire a diverse team. Once they’ve joined your organization, make certain that everyone has an equal opportunity for advancement. Examine your culture for non-inclusive language and practices and, if necessary, provide DEI training. Non-inclusive conduct takes effort to “unlearn,” so don’t expect things to change immediately. Make a long-term commitment to fostering an inclusive culture and track your success.
Conclusion
Small firms can benefit greatly from cultivating a culture of appreciation, trust, transparency, and belonging. Above all, employees will be more satisfied and loyal. You will also enhance production and decrease absenteeism. In today’s competitive labor market, an improved employer brand will help you attract personnel.
