All Employees are Essential. How are You Showing Your Appreciation?

By Deb Boelkes

With so many organizations scrambling just to stay alive during these challenging times, it’s understandable that some managers might forget to thank their team members for their contributions, especially as we enter the busy holiday season.  But it’s hard to fathom that any senior executive would think they can mandate injections for employees without serious repercussions.  What kind of appreciation does that convey?

Issuing mandates of any kind is not the way a heartfelt leader builds an enduring WOW factor workplace. Quite the contrary. Beloved and successful leaders—the kind team members would do anything for—are not dictators. Rather, they are the ones who lead through inspiration, encouragement, and appreciation.

Last year, in the early days of the pandemic, a lot of very public gratitude was showered upon essential workers, especially those on the front lines of healthcare. That was a good thing and much deserved. But now, when half of all American companies claim to be suffering from a shortage of workers, all employees are essential. Remember that it’s those employees who are still on the job who keep your organization going—at a time when many others are going under.

With things as challenging as they are right now, no employer can afford to dole out mandates and expect to remain viable. The best employers know that it’s always the right time to extend gifts of heartfelt appreciation—and explicit gratitude is needed now, more than ever.  

Think about it. Just like you, your team members are struggling to keep up. Many are working longer hours to cover for that shortage of staff. Some are finding it difficult to make ends meet, with inflation taking a big bite out of their paycheck.  Some may be very worried about the potential adverse reactions the jab is known to cause for some people. They may be caring for a loved one suffering from an adverse reaction. It may be all they can do to cope with a home life that’s disrupted in some other way. 

In other words, stress is at an all-time high for many. Heartfelt leaders know to acknowledge this, and to act accordingly by being extra appreciative for each employee’s dedication. While you may not be able to change the day-to-day realities of life, you can change the way your team members experience their work life. You can help them to feel essential and valued.  

Expressing your appreciation for what your employees do for you isn’t just a nice thing to do. It’s smart business. Sincere appreciation positively impacts everything from employee wellbeing and job satisfaction to productivity and customer satisfaction. Infusing more gratitude into the workplace can be a powerhouse tool for building engagement. Expressing sincere appreciation on a regular basis can boost morale throughout the workforce and create a more emotionally intelligent WOW factor workplace. Best of all, your own expressions of gratitude can unleash a chain reaction in which everyone becomes more appreciative of each other. In especially hard times like these, it can make your workplace a haven.

Now let’s consider just a few of the ways you can make a big impact on morale just by letting your employees know you value their contributions.

Recognize and celebrate your team members’ accomplishments. On an upcoming Friday, or perhaps on the last day before your holiday shut-down, suggest that everyone finish up an hour early so you can host an onsite or hybrid / Zoom happy hour, pizza party, or ice cream social (and don’t forget your remote employees—you might consider using a food & beverage delivery service to include them). 

While everyone is enjoying their goodies, take a few moments to give public, yet personalized, recognition to each one. Be specific about how each team member’s efforts and ideas have helped the organization. Share the things you have noticed they each do especially well, then open it up for the employees to compliment one another. This is a great way to create a sense of pride, unity, and camaraderie, even for those who are remote.

Put your appreciation in writing. The uniqueness of a handwritten note—especially in this age of emails, voice mails, and texting—can have a big bang. Purchase some beautiful note cards or holiday greeting cards in which to write a heartfelt note of thanks to each of your direct reports. Simple words of gratitude and encouragement are always uplifting. Highlighting specific exceptional performance will be especially meaningful.  

As Paul Spiegelman, Cofounder of the Small Giants Community, shared in my book Heartfelt Leadership: How to Capture the Top Spot and Keep on Soaring,  “That note you can get from someone … that says, ‘thank you, you’ve changed my life’ … is much more powerful, much more valuable, than any amount of money I could have in the bank.”

If a team member is unable to attend your appreciation event, but you know they will be visiting the office during the holiday, leave a tin of their favorite cookies on their desk and include your personalized thank you note with it.

Extend your gratitude to the employee’s family members. The simple act of sending a special thank you note to an employee’s spouse, parent, or child can have an exponential impact (after months of Zoom meetings, you may already be on a first name basis with some of them, too).  Thanking family members can help strengthen a high performer’s personal life, especially when his/her partner or other family member may have felt he/she has also sacrificed for your business.

Be generous with flex time. When everyone is stressed and overworked, give people some freedom with their work schedule to help them stay sane. If their life can be made easier by working a half day in the morning and finishing their work later, be as accommodating as possible. Dismiss your team early or tell them to come in late on some days during the holiday. Remind remote employees that they, too, can take time to themselves to recharge. Try to make yourself available to them on their schedule if you can. This is a big way to let them know you care.  

Don’t underestimate the impact the gift of appreciation, encouragement and recognition can have on morale. Anyone thinking of resigning might just decide to stay. And when the word gets out how great your workplace is, your routine expressions of meaningful appreciation could become the magnet that will attract many other talented people to join your team.

Best of all, giving the gift of gratitude feels good and will raise your own spirits, too. Appreciation is the gift that rewards the giver as much as it rewards the recipient. May you be that kind of giver—not just during the holidays, but all year through.