Recognition can cost less than you think!
Unhappy team members sometimes look for a new job because they feel undervalued and unappreciated. Managers sometimes don’t show appreciation because they think it will cost a lot of money to do so or they just don’t know what to do. Let that thinking be a thing of the past!
Yes, you can shower your team members with pots of money, bonus payments and big nights out, but realistically not all small businesses have the resources to do this.
According to the 2023 Work Human ‘Employee Recognition’ Report, when recognition hits the mark, team members are more satisfied, are more productive and are less likely to leave. Let’s face it, this is a win-win for everyone, especially when you have invested in recruiting and developing your people.
Yes, in some businesses (such as direct sales), money does mean a lot. Often commission or bonus comes from successful sales which on its own is a great retainer of people. There is no denying that salary is so important to team members, but there is so much research which shows that employee expectations have evolved and cash just isn’t enough! Quite often it’s the things which don’t cost money which have become more valuable - culture, purpose, having a voice, flexible working, belonging, wellbeing and being recognised. And it’s ‘being recognised’ which we are focusing on here.
You have a member of your team (let’s call them ‘Joe’) who has just completed a great piece of project work which also meant going above and beyond for a key customer and you now want to recognise them and let them know how much you appreciate them. You know you don’t have a lot of spare money to spend so what can you do.?
We are going to look at some of the things you can try that won’t break the bank!
1) Let them finish early one day
Time is money yes – but it is to your teams too. Imagine if you say to Joe “well done for the extra work you put into the Console Project, I am over the moon with the result… as a little thank you – why don’t you ‘finish early this Friday as I know you have your daughters party to prepare for’…….. It might only be a couple of hours, but to Joe this could mean the world as they know you appreciate them and are thinking about their wider family too.
2) Free them up from ‘coffee/tea’ runs for the day
If you work in a fairly small office, generally if you make yourself a coffee, you end up making another 8 at the same time for everyone else (and let’s not get started on the different requirements!) But, you could say ‘Joe, due to your efforts on that project, you are getting a day off from tea/coffee runs’….. let the rest of the team know too so there is a bit of peer recognition! Not only are you saving them time, but your letting others know about a great result.
3) Buy them lunch
Yes, this one might have a cost involved but it doesn’t need to be a lot. It could simply be ‘let me get your sandwich today as a thank you’. Sometimes it’s about the offer and showing you recognise the efforts. Believe me, this £5 could be money well spent.
4) Mention them in your next company team meeting or email share
If you regularly have your group together or you regularly send email updates, how about name dropping Joe and the efforts they made on the Console Project. It will take literally seconds for you to do this, but could mean the world to Joe to be recognised and for their peers to hear about it.
5) Send them a personal note/thank you card
We are not suggesting you send cards for every task an employee completes, but when someone goes above and beyond for you/your business, it deserves something different. A handwritten ‘thank you’ really carries a lot of weight as it means you made an effort and the personal touch goes a long way. You could perhaps either post this to their home address or just leave it on their desk for them for when they come into work. Either way = a lovely surprise and a lovely thank you.
6) Take a task off their list for tomorrow
If you can, lighten their load tomorrow to give them chance to reflect on their great job. Even more powerful would be for you to take a task on for them – but that might not work in reality. Either way, you are saying ‘you look after us and we will look after you’.
7) Share their efforts with someone else
If you share the responsibility for the business with someone else or have another Manager employed, mention Joe’s efforts to them. This means when they are next passing Joe’s desk that can say something like “Oh Joe, I have just been told about the work you did on the Console Project – well done you, you added so much value’. Simple, but oh so powerful.
8) Surprise them with a treat
You will know what they really like as a treat, it might be on your way into work you go to that famous donut place and buy a box, it might be a coffee from one of those drive thru’s near your office, it could be a pizza lunch for the office if the hard work bought needed revenue! Either way, something simple but an unexpected treat can go a long way.
9) Ask Joe how you can say thanks
Radical huh? Simply say to Joe, “I am so impressed with the work you did on the Console Project that I want to say thank you in a way which will mean something to you. What can I do to say thank you”.
People are not unaware – they are not going to say “I would like you to buy me a car please boss”. (If they do, you can laugh at that response and say “I meant within reason of course!!) They are much more switched on than you think and might suggest something really simple but something which is important to them. This is powerful as you are putting the power of recognition back in Joe’s hands.
10) Just say ‘thank you’
We end with the simplest, but perhaps the most valuable. We have worked alongside people who say to me ‘I don’t have time to say thank you, they are getting paid to do those jobs ….’ Once I bit my tongue (sometimes I didn’t!), I felt sad. Your team should always know you appreciate what they do.
We are not saying say ‘thank you’ every second in robot fashion, but when you say it, mean it. A simple ‘Thanks so much Joe, I have just read your report and it’s an outstanding piece of work’.
Use the words ‘thank you’ in your own authentic way and you really will start seeing the difference.
10 simple things for you to try to recognise those team members who not only deserve it, but who you want to retain for the future too!
Thank you for reading this – we know your time is precious, however, we hope you picked up a couple of tips to try yourself later this week!
If you want to implement some new ways of working or plans and are not sure how to do so, feel free to get in touch and we can chat through some new ideas.
