10 Ways To Make An Employee Feel Appreciated - What to Know

Making your employees feel satisfied in their job is a difficult but worthwhile endeavor. Employees that feel satisfaction in the role will remain in your organization for longer, work harder, and have fewer absences. It will also help your employees lead happier lives both in and out of work.

One easy way to raise job satisfaction rates in your organization is to make your employees feel appreciated. Making your employees feel like they are valued is integral to building a successful business.

In this article, we will look at 10 ways to make an employee feel appreciated.

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1. Give Recognition

This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to appreciate your employees. All it means is to notice the good that your employees do and to recognize it. Instead of focusing on the negative such as missed targets and mistakes, take the time to say thanks for the day-to-day accomplishments that are often overlooked.

Ensure that your leaders say thanks and single out employees and teams for their successes, no matter how small. 

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2. Encourage the Effort of Your Employees

This point is related to the last one and can be a great place to start if you’re not sure how to give recognition. You should always try to praise the day-to-day effort of your employees as they continue to work. This doesn’t mean waiting for results but instead praising as they go along.

There are several ways you can do this from just a few nice words to sending eCards to your employees. Many organizations have an internal platform where effort can be rewarded and this is worth investing in if you don’t have one already. You don’t have to give monetary bonuses as eCards and comments will suffice.

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3. Reward Results

As important as it is to praise effort, you should also reward results. Whether these are small results or large results, they’re worth rewarding. 

Employees will feel more appreciated when their work is rewarded and especially when these rewards are more personal to them. There are several programs that allow employees to choose their own rewards from a number of options. For example, instead of giving an employee a gift card for a specific store, let them choose the store themselves.

4. Ask for Input From Employees

Employees always feel more appreciated when their opinions are listened to. Ask your employees for their input and perspective regarding the organization and their roles within it. Employees that feel that their opinions are valued will also feel that not only are they appreciated, but that their work is too. 

Get your employees engaged in their roles and the organization by seeking their opinions frequently. You may even find some solutions to problems you didn’t know existed.

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5. Compensate Your Employees

Your employees will feel appreciated if they are rewarded well for their work. This doesn’t just mean having a high base level of pay (although this is important) as there are several other ways you can compensate your employees.

As well as the reward programs we have mentioned before, you can also offer decent levels of vacation, transport reimbursement, health and wellness benefits, bonuses, and incentives. Employees will also appreciate other benefits such as the chance to take volunteer days or have flexible schedules.

 

6. Prioritize the Work-Life Balance

There are many studies that prove having a good work-life balance will help employees feel appreciated and have higher job satisfaction levels. It can also improve their results as it prevents employees from suffering from burnout and will make them more motivated when they are at work.

Consider programs such as flexible work hours, health and wellness support, and the opportunity to work from home. You should also try to prevent communication from occurring during off-work hours so that your employees can feel relaxed.

 

7. Help Employees Grow

Your employees will feel more appreciated if they know that their personal growth is supported and even encouraged by their employers. This means helping them learn more skills and develop their talents.

This will make your employees feel more valued and supported. It will help them in their current role and may even help them achieve more success in their careers, regardless of whether this is within your company or not. Employees will remember this support and will feel valued.

 

8. Hire Internally

This point is closely linked to the previous point. Many organizations have job openings that will need to be filled and where possible, try to hire internally where you can. 

Hiring internally shows your employees that you value them and their contribution to the company. It can encourage other employees to work harder and develop themselves in the hope of also achieving a promotion themselves.

 

9. Build Connections

When we talk about connections, we are talking about several different things. You need to make your employees feel connected to the company so that they can understand their purpose and feel the weight of their accomplishments. 

Employees that feel connected to their organization, leadership, and teammates will work harder and feel more appreciated. Taking the time to make them feel connected will also make them feel like a valued member of the company.

 

10. Celebrate Your Employees

This can take several different forms and will help your employees feel more appreciated. Take the time to celebrate the personal events of your employees, such as birthdays and work anniversaries. 

A word from a leader congratulating an employee on a work anniversary (regardless of whether it is one year or 20 years) will make them feel more loyal and appreciated. It also shows your other employees that the organization values loyalty and appreciates staff for sticking with them. This can help your retention results, as well.

Final Thoughts

In this article, we looked at 10 ways to make an employee feel appreciated. Some of these methods may require organizational change or financial commitments, but others can be easily put in place with little resources required.

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