Ways to show employee appreciation

Whether your office is made up of 15 staffers or 500, it's important to show your employees that you appreciate them. There are ways to do this that include promoting their well-being both as a person and as a professional. Try some of these ideas to make your staff members feel the love:

Improve office culture
Offering a desk to work from, a paycheck and health benefits isn't all that makes up your office. The people in it and the cohesiveness of your staff are major players in whether your workspace is a good place to be. Try to promote team bonding through outings like trivia nights or in-office events. Maybe host contests to see who has the best spelling or can raise the most money for their favorite charity. When your employees know one another and enjoy spending time together, the office will be a more positive place. Plus, when you offer fun events, your staff will know that you care about them not just as an employee but as a human being as well.

Don't set unreasonable expectations
If you set the bar too high, the chances of failure go up. Don't set your staff up to fail. Work with each individual to establish what they are expected to complete each month or quarter. Be sure their workload is challenging, but not so much so that they have no chance of getting it all done. Your employees will appreciate your understanding when you meet to talk about your expectations, and they will know you appreciate their efforts when you help them achieve their goals.

Back them up
The old adage, "the customer is always right," is not always true. Some clients are just too difficult to work for. They expect too much of your time or energy and may not be respectful. When this happens, don't side with the client and belittle your staff member. Instead, consider if keeping the particularly hard-to-deal-with customer is worth it when all they do is misuse your employee's time. Always take your staff member's side so they know you are there to help and won't turn on them if a client is being unreasonable.

Acknowledge their work
If you want your staff to be loyal to the company and not think of it as just a job, you should acknowledge the work they are doing. When someone scores a particularly important client, be sure to show them you are thankful and impressed. This can come in the form of a little gift like a box of their favorite candy, a congratulatory greeting card or even an office shout-out. When your employees know you are paying attention to their work, they are likely to do their best to impress you.