Do you know the number one reason workers in the US leave their jobs? It’s because they don’t feel appreciated.
Fortunately, there’s a (fairly) easy way to solve that problem, boost company morale, and ultimately increase your bottom line – with an Employee Appreciation Program! If you’re interested in setting one up, the following quick guide will help get you started.
Aims & Goals
Before you start putting your new program together, you should sit down with both management and employees and map out what your specific goals are. Maybe you want to foster an atmosphere of healthy interdepartmental competition, or increase sales by some specific percentage.
The particulars will vary from one company to the next, but the most important consideration is that your goals be highly specific, and measurable when and where possible.
Rules of the Road
An employee of the month program is more complex than first meets the eye. For instance, you’ve got to decide if everyone can participate, or if it’s restricted to certain classes of employees only (i.e. – is it just for the sales team? Are part timers eligible, or is it for full time only? What about new employees who are still on probation?)
All of these questions need firm answers before you proceed. Taking the time to spell out the particulars in detail, from day one, will let everyone know exactly where they stand, and make it much more likely that it will be fully embraced.
What’s The Payout?
Every good competition needs a reward. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or elaborate, though it certainly could be. It could be something as simple as an appreciation certificate, although if you can add something else to the pot, so much the better. Perhaps a small cash incentive, a special parking spot for a month, a spa day, an extra day off. The only limits here are the limits of your imagination!
Selection Process
Working out exactly how employees will be selected is perhaps the trickiest part of the entire setup. Will it be based on some tangible business goal like number of sales, or number of calls taken/number of problems solved, or will it be handled via a nomination process, where employees select potential candidates whose names go before a “panel” of judges each month for evaluation and selection?
Either approach can work. Just make sure that the selection process is clearly spelled out so everyone knows the rules of the game and how to participate.
Spread The Word!
Once you’ve got all the pieces in place, it’s time to let the employees see the final shape and form of the program you’ve created. There are lots of ways you can handle this, from calling everyone together for a companywide team meeting, to simply posting an announcement on your website or in the cafeteria. There are no wrong answers here. It comes down to whatever makes the most sense for your company, and meets the goal of getting the word out.
Accolades To The Winners
This is where it all comes together. After all, it’s not much of an appreciation program if you don’t make a big deal about the winners, right? So each time someone wins the award, be sure to make a production of it.
Not only will this really make the winner feel more appreciated, but it’ll also raise the profile of the program as a whole, making it more likely to see higher participation rates. Both are good things!
That’s all there is to it. Follow the simple steps outlined above, and you can put together your own employee appreciation program in no time flat!