Friday, March 3rd, is Employee Appreciation Day. This is an important time of year for all employers and employees as it is an excellent opportunity to show appreciation and encourage a healthy and happy work environment. And when the employees are happy and healthy, work can be more productive and efficient.
We have fourteen easy and unique tips to boost your team’s health and morale. By doing so, you are only improving your team’s productivity and overall happiness. You can thank us later for the improvements to your workplace!
Benefits Of Employee Appreciation
First, let’s review some of the most prominent benefits of employee appreciation. We should note that while employee appreciation should be shown on Mach 3rd, it should also be shown throughout the year. Don’t limit appreciation to one single day during a calendar year.
Improved Employee Retention
Employee retention is taking a dark turn in recent years. More and more employees are leaving companies for bigger and better opportunities. The problem with this is low employee retention will cost your company a lot of money. One report showed that every time a company loses a salaried employee, it costs the company between 6 to 9 months’ salary on average.
According to this survey of 2,000 former employees, almost half of these employees left their most recent job because they felt underappreciated. However, employee appreciation is just one piece of the puzzle that can drastically improve employee retention, allowing you to keep on your best employees for more productivity.
Improved Job Satisfaction
Providing clear and consistent employee appreciation can improve employee job satisfaction, which will help several areas of work and productivity. When your employees are acknowledged, they are much more likely to stay long term and increase their work capacity.
One study published in the International Journal of Business and Management showed a strong correlation between recognition, job satisfaction, and workplace motivation. More job satisfaction often means higher output and productivity, which is very good for your business.
Boost In Productivity
Employee who feel healthy, active, and acknowledged can improve work productivity and output. An employer can easily encourage this on all fronts to improve their workplace and employee health.
Lower Absenteeism And Tardiness
When employees feel acknowledged and appreciated, they will likely put more energy and effort into their routine tasks. This includes making sure they consistently show up to work on time. In addition, recognizing and encouraging healthy habits can improve employees’ health and happiness, thereby reducing absenteeism due to physical or mental illness.
14 Tips For Boosting Employee Health & Morale
We have fourteen tips for boosting employee health and morale to improve workplace productivity, happiness, and overall health. These tips are broken up into three main categories– suggestions targeting physical health, mental health, and creative ways to encourage employee appreciation.
Each of these three categories is crucial to overall production and employee appreciation. In today’s day and age, you can’t acknowledge your employees’ physical health without also nurturing their mental health.
Physical Health
Physical health is critical to an individual’s well-being and, therefore, productivity. Your employee is much more likely to be content when living a healthy and active lifestyle. As an employer, you can encourage this in many different ways.
- Encourage Healthy Work-Life Balance
A healthy work-life balance is essential for achieving productivity and job satisfaction. You can limit demands to actual work hours rather than sending out-of-office emails and requests. This gives them the time and space to focus on physical well-being when outside of the office.
- Provide Healthy Snacks And Drinks
Unhealthy snacks and indulgences can severely harm health and productivity. And unfortunately, many employees tend to turn to these snacks and drinks out of convenience. So instead, provide plenty of water and healthy snacks (like protein bars, fruits, and vegetables) to your employees for a healthy means of re-fueling throughout the day.
- Offer Fitness Programs Or Encourage Gym Memberships
Regular exercise is another vital component of health and productivity. Of course, you don’t have to have your employees exercising on the clock, but there are other ways to encourage health and physical activity. For example, you can offer fitness programs or staff gym memberships to help get the ball rolling.
- Create A Comfortable & Ergonomic Work Space
The work environment is vital to physical health, believe it or not. For example, comfortable work chairs are important for posture and, therefore, spine and heart health. You can provide comfortable seating options, an appropriate temperature, and other touches to create a comfortable and happy space for all employees.
- Encourage Movements Throughout The Day
You don’t want your employees sitting in an office chair all day, and your employees probably don’t want that either. It can be helpful to productivity and work focus to take intermediate breaks for walking, stretching, and other physical movements. This gets the blood pumping and promotes a healthier body and mind.
These are five simple yet effective tips to encourage better physical health amongst your staff. And at the end of the day, you’ll notice significant improvements in productivity and the overall work environment.
Mental Health
Physical health isn’t the only thing that matters, however. Mental health is equally important for productivity, employee retention, and other employee health.
- Recognize & Celebrate Accomplishments
Everyone wants acknowledgment for hard work, and your employees are no exception. If someone does a great job, works extra hard before a big deadline, or exceeds expectations, ensure these sentiments are made known to that employee. They will feel much more satisfied and respected.
- Offer Opportunities For Professional Development
Growth is an important aspect of a healthy human brain. You should provide opportunities for professional development, whether the ability to move on within their career or through company-sponsored trainings.
- Provide A Supportive & Inclusive Work Environment
Support is essential to mental health. You should be working alongside your employees and consistently encouraging them. You want your employees to feel a part of the team because they are. Everybody is needed functioning at full capacity (or close to full capacity) for smooth sailing.
Your employees should feel included, almost like a part of the workplace family. This will encourage an openness that nourishes the mind and soul.
- Encourage Open Communication & Feedback
Communication is another crucial piece of the puzzle. If there is a problem, employee conflict, or overall lack of satisfaction, your employees should have a safe space to work through this.
Mental health should never be forgotten. Physical health is incredibly important to productivity and employee retention, but emotional well-being plays a significant role in success and wellness.
Creative Ideas
Even the slightest acknowledgment of appreciation can make all the difference. Here are some other suggestions to promote well-being and support in the workplace.
- Personalized Thank-You Notes
Small thank-you notes show you are taking the time and energy to show appreciation and boost morale. Employees should feel acknowledged for their hard work and dedication to the team.
- Employee Recognition Awards
Recognition awards are another way to positively influence appreciation and well-being in the workplace. One popular method is to have an “Employee of the Week/Month/Year” to provide motivation and a common goal amongst staff. But there are many other ways to do this, like an annual award ceremony.
- Celebrate Milestones & Birthdays
You can also celebrate company milestones. For example, once you reach 500 clients, you can host a party or a company-wide weekend excursion. This will encourage your team to work together.
Celebrating birthdays is a personalized way to show your employees that each and everyone one is important to the company, the team, and the workplace family.
- Team Building Activities
Team building activities can bring everyone together and help create a positive atmosphere for your employees. When done well, they can encourage work friendships, so everyone feels welcome and comfortable in their environment.
- Surprise Treats & Perks
Sometimes, you should go off script and have surprise treats and perks for the staff. This might be a random Friday off work, a surprise Monday morning breakfast, or little treats randomly given to all staff.
These fourteen simple yet effective tips can greatly improve team health and enthusiasm. And by improving team health and morale, you are encouraging the productivity and output of your staff. You will be surprised how the smallest acts of consideration can make the largest difference in workplace morale and capacity.
Investing In Your Employees: The Benefits Of Appreciation & Health
Appreciation and health really go a long way in the workforce. If you encourage your employees’ well-being, they will, in turn, promote more growth and productivity in the workplace. You should care about your employees’ overall health, whether it be through consistent recognition or physical and mental health support.
You can do precisely that by making a few minor adjustments to your business strategy that incorporates the needs and wants of your staff. Even dedicating just 1% of your budget can greatly impact employee productivity, retention rates, and the overall well-being of your team.
One final note, employee appreciation should always be personalized to your company and team members. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to recognition and appreciation. But you should know what your team needs and do your best to provide just that.
