If your business is successful, it's likely because you have an incredible team behind you that strives to help you accomplish your mission.
When you focus on your quarterly earnings, how can you show that you're grateful for all the hard work your employees have done?
Read on for a few unique ideas for employee appreciation that will help you express your thankfulness for a successful quarter, regardless of the outcome.
A simple uplifting comment and words of encouragement can do quite a lot for company morale.
Even if your last quarter wasn't as profitable as you hoped, it never hurts to maintain an attitude of gratitude. Focus on the positive things your team has done, and then encourage them to keep it going.
You can thank the entire staff during a meeting or you may choose to address each employee individually. Do your best to keep the focus on each person's strengths rather than their weaknesses. If your budget allows, consider giving specific people a raise as a token of your thanks.
If your business had an amazing quarter, it's important to come up with some ideas for employee appreciation. These rewards can include anything from bonus checks to company-sponsored parties or luncheons.
Aside from cash rewards, you can also issue individuals a special plaque or certificate. Whether your IT team went above and beyond or your sales staff sealed an amazing deal, it's important to show them just how much you appreciate their hard work.
Companies who do well financially should share that reward with their team. Not only does this keep your employees happy, but it also shows that you recognize the work they've put in to make your business a success.
Every quarter will not be extremely profitable, which is simply a part of the pains that come with a growing business. That doesn't mean that you can't express your gratitude to your employees, however.
If you don't want to hash out money or bonuses, come up with different ways to express your thanks. One effective way to show you care is to get honest, open feedback from your team about how you can improve.
Be open to policy and procedure suggestions that could end up helping your business in the long run. Make it clear that even if your last quarter wasn't great, you still sincerely appreciate the hard work of every single member on your team. Saying thank you even when times are tough will encourage everyone to stick it out and strive to do better moving forward.
Whether it's money or a special event, come up with some ideas for employee appreciation that will keep morale high. No matter how well you did this quarter, there is always something to be thankful for if you have a great team in your corner.
If you need help boosting productivity and engaging your employees, visit our website and contact us today for more information.
Interested in learning more about employee appreciation? Check out our blog, where we explore new topics regularly.
Corporate training is big business. By some estimates, employers spent approximately $1,300 annually per employee on direct learning, and this amount is expected to climb.
Why do organizations continue to spend money on employee training? Here are 6 reasons employee training can benefit the company:
One of the benefits to organizational training is an improvement in processes. Employees who are fully trained on company processes save the company time and money. Training reduces waste and expenditures and can prevent damage to equipment, machinery and prevent delays in how work gets completed.
Training processes improve employee productivity.
When employees have the opportunity to engage in specified, effective training programs, they demonstrate greater productivity and a higher quality of work than their untrained counterparts. The trained employee has improved skills and generally has a greater volume of work output.
Many times, one of the biggest reasons employers desire corporate training is to establish a standard procedure. When employees are given a set of expected processes, they become the ‘norm’ and companies can expect a higher level of performance. When processes are put in place, employers can quickly determine the efficiency (or lack thereof) of their company.
Training can reduce the need for constant supervision, and enable employees to work independently. Supervisors are able to assist as needed for specific training, but a general reduction in supervision eliminates costs and increases productivity.
When organizations utilize a standard system of training, the management can be assured that skills are being taught the same way. This can reduce the learning curve for new employees and establish a baseline of skills and processes within the organization.
One of the latest buzzwords in employee management is engagement.
Employee engagement is the idea that employees are fully invested in the process and goals of their job. When employees are disengaged, they not only cost the company time and money, they can cause a ripple effect of dissatisfaction and discontentment within the organization.
One of the most effective methods of improving employee engagement is corporate training. Training allows organizations to educate employees on corporate vision, provides for employee buy-in and improves morale within the company. It demonstrates to employees that they are valued and offers them necessary skills and tools they can use in their current job and any possible future employment - whether they remain with the company or not.
Companies with engaged employees outperform their competitors by at least 147%. There are a variety of factors that are affected by personalized corporate training: absenteeism, employee turnover, complaints and general dissatisfaction. By reducing these, companies can see improved profits, increased employee engagement and elevated efficiency.
Don’t leave your training programs to chance. Use your corporate investment to affect change within your organization by developing a customized training program with proven results. The improved culture within your organization will be worth the investment you make in staff training.
Is your organization ready to create change through training? Contact our experts at MY BIG IDEA® for information on how we can help you develop a customized training program today.
Quitter. Loser. Failure. Those words fall like anvils on the shoulders of high achievers, and can motivate people to keep working, long after others have thrown in the towel.
People who achieve their goals are considered winners and are held up as an example for others to follow.
Does that mean there is never an appropriate time to abandon a goal? Does giving up always make you a failure?
Goal setting is an effective tool for reaching a target. It can motivate individuals to increase their sales, improve their accuracy, cultivate strategic relationships and more. In some instances, however, it can also be limiting, and can cause people to stick with something out of a misguided sense of pride.
Over time, you will come to the inevitable fork in the road. Your path to success will become difficult and the temptation to abandon the goal will be strong.
How do you know when to push through the challenges toward success or walk away from the goal and find a new path?
Often, people give up too early on their goals.
You’ve experienced a minor setback - a setback doesn’t mean you should abandon your goal completely. You may need to adjust the timeline, or re-frame the goal, but keep working at it.
Other people have changed course. There is strength in numbers. When others are working on the same goal, it is easy to stay on target. When others switch goals or abandon them altogether, it is tempting to give up. Don’t be swayed by the crowd.
Sometimes, the strategies you were using to reach your goal don’t work. Instead of giving up on your goal, change strategies and approach the goal from a different angle.
Your goal has adverse consequences. Sometimes, a goal seems like a good idea at the beginning. Over time, however, you may realize that what you thought you wanted has changed.
The prestige of being the top sales producer may be enticing, for example, until you realize that it means you’ll be away from home more often.
The goal you originally set may have been well-crafted but may not apply any more. Just because you set a goal in college doesn’t mean you’re locked into it for life.
It happens. You feel very strongly about something, and then realize you were wrong. If your goal is out of step with the values you hold, change goals.
Successful people have learned that goal-setting is simply a tool that can be used to help get where they want to go. They have learned to harness goal-setting appropriately – pushing through or walking away as needed in order to reach their overall goal.
Asses, then keep re-assessing.
Don’t be afraid to pivot as you navigate through the course of life.
Interested in learning more about effective goal setting? Check out our blog, where we explore new topics regularly.
Does someone on your team need to learn to navigate the ins and outs of goal setting? We can help you establish an effective goal setting program that creates opportunity for both personal and professional growth. Contact us today for more information on how to get started!
Steve Jobs, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Warren Buffett, Estée Lauder. These legendary leaders have left an impressive trail of success and giant footsteps on the path to leadership that many corporate leaders wish to emulate.
How can you evaluate your own effectiveness as a leader?
Is it possible to find out how successful your efforts have been?
Effective leaders are generally considered to be positive people. This doesn’t mean that they are smiling all the time, or ignore reality, but it does mean that they typically look for the best in situations. Positive leaders are more likely to focus on transformative leadership – perfect for inspiring and motivating their teams.
Does this describe you?
Effective leaders embrace change. More than simply chasing the newest novelty, a leader who can adjust and pivot easily is likely to be more effective. New technologies, dealing with a changing workforce and other outside influences require leaders to be experts at managing change. Do you welcome change, or does it throw you for a loop?
Another essential trait of effective leadership is the ability to set a vision, and motivate a team to pursue it. The legendary leadership of Richard Branson is full of stories where he set an ‘audacious goal’ and then rallied his team to chase after it wholeheartedly. Do you set big goals for your team, and are they willing to go after them?
Some of the most effective leaders adopt a ‘first one in, last one out’ mind-set. You don’t need to be chained to your desk, however, do you have a reputation for working hard? Are you thought of as someone who is willing to pitch in and get things done as needed, or are you more known for long lunches and extended weekends?
Being busy and being productive don’t necessarily go hand in hand.
Leaders who delegate effectively are able to focus their energy and time towards business growth and business strategy. As a leader, you’ll need to empower your staff to effectively bring your ideas to life. Your effectiveness as a leader diminishes the more you get caught in the weeds. This means less micromanaging and more effective delegation.
Integrity is essential for successful leadership. Leaders who consistently support the corporate philosophy through their actions and who are more concerned with integrity than success will be far more effective than their counterparts. Avoiding the traps of micromanagement and focusing on themselves, effective leaders act with consistent integrity and ethics. Do you consider yourself to be full of integrity?
Interested in learning more about effective leadership? Check out our blog, where we explore new topics regularly.
According to a recent report by JobList, 73% of employees have been considering leaving their jobs. And their decision to change jobs isn’t strictly about the money, either, as 74% of early career employees would consider taking a pay cut to work their ideal job, and 23% of those considering leaving their job wouldn’t need a pay raise in order to take on a new position.
But why should a company care if their employees are disengaged and/or want to leave? They could just replace them. Right?
Not only does high turnover and low employee engagement cost companies billions each year, according to Gallup’s meta-analysis, businesses that scored the highest on employee engagement were 21% more profitable and scored 17% higher on productivity than companies with low engagement.
With the escalating costs of employee turnover, businesses are seeking ways to improve employee retention and increase employee engagement.
Not all research companies and experts share the same definition of employee engagement. But, for the purpose of this blog, we’ll go with Gallup’s definition - which states that engaged employees are “those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.”
But why are so many employees not feeling enthusiastic about or committed to their workplace?
Many employees simply do not feel like they are getting the recognition they deserve and don’t have confidence in their senior leadership team.
How can companies promote confidence in the senior leadership team?
Employees want to be recognized for the unique value they bring to the company. Employees know they are there to perform a job, but today’s workers also want to make a difference.
Demonstrate appreciation for employee success. Whether publicly or privately, showing that you notice an employee’s hard work will help employees feel confident that their work does not go unseen and is important to the company’s success.
Demonstrate that you see your employees as more than just workers performing tasks and that you recognize their importance to the company. Be genuinely interested in the people who work in the company.
Connect your employees’ role to your organizational missions, provide recognition and encourage the unique value and contributions each of your employees bring to the organization.
Employees want to know their work matters. By communicating the company’s goals and vision, they can see how their job fits into the larger picture.
Employee commitment grows when there is a clear path for future corporate growth. Identify ways the employee can help the company achieve success and tie their job into the overall corporate goals.
Discuss the company’s progress towards organizational goals and share both successes and failures. While employees don’t need to be part of every decision, including employees in key decision-making processes can help build confidence in the management team. By sharing the behind the scenes process with employees, they begin to see themselves as a part of a larger process.
Professional development is important. Offering employees regular training on job skills, cross-training within departments and other development programs indicates that the organization is invested in the success of its employees.
Business managers develop trust by asking effective questions and listening to the answers. Go beyond surface-level conversations about employee ideas and suggestions, and then take action when appropriate. Be a leader with integrity. Show employees that you are leading with the values of the company and that you do what you say you’ll do.
Building a committed workforce is an on-going process. It is established through the daily interactions management level staff have with the employees and is part of the organization’s culture.
By working to develop employee engagement, you are improving employee confidence and commitment to your organization and directly impacting voluntary turnover rate by creating a place people want to work.
Where can you improve in developing a highly committed workforce?
Interested in learning more about boosting employee engagement? Check out our blog, where we explore new topics regularly.
The more people you tell of your goal, the more pressure you will have to achieve it, which is a good thing. Or, is it?
A growing number of experts are beginning to realize that accountability to people other than yourself isn’t always the best choice. Despite the buzz surrounding the idea of accountability, it doesn’t mean shouting your goals on the rooftop makes them easier to achieve.
A study by the American Psychological Association found that sharing your goals with a stranger can de-motivate you. It may seem like keeping your goals private is counterproductive, but science says otherwise.
A study by Peter Gollwitzer revealed that sharing your goal actually decreases the chance that you’ll actually do the work. Why? When you reveal your big goal, people are quick to praise you, giving you a euphoric high that feeds your feelings of self-worth. You get a ‘hit’ of endorphins early, and then are less motivated to keep working on said goal.
As the popularity of social media continues to climb, the ‘hits’ of euphoria come from simply telling people about the goal. Followers give you mini-hits with likes and words of affirmation, but you don’t actually have to do the work to get the praise.
A study at Reed College used three types of praise to evaluate the effectiveness of affirmation and accountability on goal-setting. The group that received praise on their method of working was more successful (“The way you solved that problem was impressive.”), while the group that received individual praise (“You’re amazing!”) was less successful.
While no one likes to get negative feedback, it can discourage people from continuing to work on their goals and lead them to abandon their plans. People who struggle with their goals may be inclined to give up altogether when they receive negative feedback about their rate of work, the way they approach the problem or their overall goal - even if that feedback came from people who don’t actually care to see you succeed.
Have you ever told someone a dream or goal, only to have them rattle off others who have attempted the same thing? It can be discouraging to hear about others who have failed and can lead to disillusionment. Other times, your goals may lead to jealousy in the people you’re sharing them with. As a result, you may be getting feedback from them that is counterproductive in helping you achieve your goals.
Privacy about your goals can mean something different to everyone. For some, it might mean not sharing them publicly, for others it might mean keeping them between you and those closest to you. Other people might find that some goals are better left to yourself - at least until you’ve had time to carve away at them.
If you find someone close to you that you can trust and can help take you and your goals to the next level, consider asking them to be an accountability partner.
Accountability partners are different from people you might off-handedly share a goal with. Their purpose is to support you and be a positive influence on achieving your goals. They’re there to motivate you and they’re the type of people who want to see you succeed.
Just be sure you give it some thought before seeking an accountability partner. Give yourself time to confirm that your goal is S.M.A.R.T., and it’s something you want to achieve for yourself, not just for outside praise. Then, give yourself time to determine who the right person is to help you on your journey.
Keeping your goals private can be powerful. You’re less likely to be faced with the onslaught of doubt, discouragement and defeat that can come with other people’s opinions.
The best way to reach success? Use an effective goal setting strategy to craft strategic goals. When you use a proven method to create your plan, you are more likely to succeed – no matter who you share (or don’t share) your goals with.Interested in learning more about effective goal setting? Check out our blog, where we explore new topics regularly.