12 Ideas for Higher Employee Appreciation

12 Ideas for Higher Employee Appreciation

One of the biggest factors that causes employees to leave and look for opportunities somewhere else is the lack of appreciation. It’s common in most organizations, and the same can be said in property management companies. As such, if you want to have a strong company culture and keep your clients satisfied, you also must have happy employees.

Why Is Employee Appreciation Important?

At ExactEstate we understand the importance of showing your employees that you appreciate them. This is primarily the case because the stats prove it – 63% of employees are more likely to stay at their current job if they are recognized.

Beyond this, the benefits of happy employees are numerous. It promotes morale and creates positive relationships. In addition, rewarding your top-performing employees can also increase productivity, reinforce their performance, and improve the work environment. More importantly, you will reduce the risk of stress and burnout if your employees feel like what they’re doing matters.

With that said, in this post, we will share some tips on how you can recognize your employees. While it is simple enough to just have an employee appreciation week, often, this measure is not enough. Instead, employee appreciation needs to be an ongoing effort throughout the year to be truly effective. Start implementing some of the methods below to improve company morale.

1. Celebrate With a Small Office Party

It’s a good idea to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day – after all, you want your employees to feel valued, and you can easily do that with a small office party or a corporate event. Make it a memorable day with fun games, happy hours, and gifts, and be sure to put your employees front and center in the festivities. Note: Any day can be an Employee Appreciation Day at your property management company, it does not have to be the US National Holiday.

2. Saying a “Thank You” is Already a Big Difference

While it seems too simple, saying “thank you” to your employees can make a big difference. The fact that you said it, the property manager, the leader goes a long way to making them feel valued, even more so than if they get positive feedback from a peer. You can convey your “thank you” with a card, an email, an appreciation letter, or even a handshake.

3. Recognize Their Contributions in Public

As the boss, any positive recognition from you is sure to motivate your employees. It’s an effective morale booster, especially if given in the presence of other people. Tell them they did a great job while talking about what you liked about them particularly. Mention their desirable qualities, but make sure it is specific to them. Come up with specific examples to back your claims so they know that you’re talking about them rather than just anyone.

4. Reward Top Performers to a Spa Day

This is a simple reward but one that is highly appreciated. To relax and not worry about work is a great incentive, making a spa day a special gift.

5. Give Them an Extra Day Off

As mentioned, the best employee appreciation ideas are the simple ones. An excellent example of this is simply giving your employees extra time off. With your team members stressed and overworked after beating a deadline, they will surely appreciate a day to rest and relax. Giving them an extra day off also means they get an extra day to spend quality time with their family. For these reasons and more, your employees will feel appreciated if you give them even just one extra day off.

6. Appreciate Them With a Trophy or a Plaque

When it comes to employee appreciation gift ideas, one of the most popular is a trophy or plaque. Your employees will love a physical representation of their hard work and your appreciation. A thank you card is okay, but you can take it up a notch by gifting them a trophy. It can be an actual trophy or a humorous one to make it fun. Either way, they will be able to put it up in their office and feel an ongoing sense of being appreciated whenever they look at it.

7. Give Your Employees a Shout Out on Social Media

As with recognizing them in public, a shout-out of your best employees on social media has a positive impact. It boosts their confidence and lets them know you are proud and care about them, even in a public context. Just make sure that your employees are comfortable with this before you do so.

8. Recognize Their Non-Work Achievements

You can recognize your employees and show you appreciate them even if their achievements are not related to work. The members of your team are amazing, talented people. Outside of work, they might be an artist on your team or a triathlon athlete, perhaps. Bragging about your employee’s non-work achievements in front of the whole team can be a huge boost in their confidence. You will make them feel appreciated as a whole person, not just a worker.

9. Offer Them With a Gift Card

Gift cards are one of the simplest but excellent employee appreciation gifts. Giving a gift card allows your employees to buy anything they desire from their favorite stores or brands. It can even be better if you try to find out what they like. This way, you can give them gift cards they actually want and will use.

10. Give Rewards Unique to Each Employee

It’s a great idea to reward your employees with gifts unique to them. Doing this will convey appreciation better than a simple “Great job!” or “I like your work.” The standard positive remarks work in certain situations. However, the way to show your appreciation to a specific employee is by giving them rewards they would be interested in or want the most.

11. Take Your Employees Out to Lunch

You can take your employees out for lunch or a coffee break. It can be in groups or individually – either case will get them out of the office. In doing so, they feel like they genuinely have your ear and that your focus is on them at the moment. Talking about their achievements and telling them how they’ve done well while enjoying a meal will undoubtedly make for a memorable experience.

12. Celebrate Their Birthdays

It’s the simplest thing – saying “Happy birthday!” – but it can instantly make someone happy. Throw in some confetti and a cake, and you’ve done well in showing you recognize your team members. Organizing one provides your employee with a bit of a breather and allows the team to be closer to each other.

Ready to Boost Your Employee Appreciation?

Hopefully, the employee appreciation ideas mentioned above can help you. They are simple ideas but showing that you care and appreciate your employees don’t have to be over the top.

It will be even better if you make it part of the company culture. Incentives are a great motivation and are sure to make your employees productive. If they can anticipate the rewards, they will feel even more driven to do their best at work. Besides the employee appreciation ideas above, it’s also great to make their job easier using automated tools.

For instance, you can use property management software like ExactEstate. With this software, you can boost employee performance thanks to its wonderful benefits like streamlined applications. Simpler, modernized workflows, plus a boss who knows when to recognize their hard work, will surely increase employee retention. Contact ExactEstate today to schedule a custom demo.