Employees are precious assets that an organization should appreciate. Employers should always find ways to let them know how resourceful they are to the institution. Christmas and the festive season are the best times to acknowledge your employees’ hard work; hence, they can end the year feeling their recognition and appreciation.
Are you an employer looking for ways to reward your employees in this festive season? Well, although 2020 was a challenging year, the following are six innovative ways in which you can reward your employees:
Compose and Send a Personalized Thank-You Note
A thank you note coming from an employer makes the employees feel recognized and appreciated. An employer should use some of his time to draft the note. A personalized message is always more effective than a commercially obtained note. Though it’s a small gesture, employers should not under-estimate the importance of a handwritten thank-you note since it’s louder than words. According to Forbes Magazine, more than 79% of employees resign from their job description for feeling unappreciated by their employers. A thank you note will also work for those employers who don’t want to spend as it has no cost to incur apart from your time as you draft it.
End of Year Party
An end of the year party with the employer is the best style to end the year. However, the party can be at the beginning of the year too. Office parties make employees feel valued for their presence in their place of work. A toast together effectively creates a strong bond between the employer and the employees and improves the workers’ morale.
Due to the COVID-19 safety guidelines, parties and other events may be virtual. A virtual Christmas party requires the employer to send out drinks to everyone to share during the special end year Zoom party. Employers can be more innovative to make a virtual party exciting and unforgettable.
Give Time Off Work
Giving time off from work during the Christmas and New Year holiday is the best gift you can offer to your employees. The employees will highly appreciate a one week or two weeks as they will have enough time to rest, spend with families and relatives, and prepare for Christmas by buying gifts for their families. By the time they come back after the New Year break, the staff will be more productive since the break will have removed boredom.
Giving Employees Christmas Gifts
Christmas gifts may be in the form of material items or money. Money is an excellent motivator as everybody loves it. Some employers give bonuses depending on the effort the employees have put throughout the year. Bonuses ensure that the workers come back after festivities with a lot of willingness to be more productive. Monetary gifts will be of much help at this time of the year when everything is costly due to the hiked prices.
According to a REBA report, employees who get Christmas gifts from employers feel appreciated and valued by their boss.
Organize a Field Trip and Secure Tickets to an Event
A field trip is the right way of bonding. It also breaks the monotony of work. The trip should occur on the final working day before the festive break. The employer should also secure event tickets for the employees to enjoy during the field trip. Most business people organize events at the end of the year.
Challenge Coin Rewards
Challenge coins are small medallions holding the organization’s emblem. The challenge coin increases the morale of the employees. It will also make them feel part of the organization as the emblem confirms membership to the institution.
Employers can do the above to appreciate their employees; hence improve the office culture, improve engagement, and reduce employee turnover. As an employee, you may combine two or more of the above ways of rewarding. For instance, you may send a handwritten thank you note and organize for an end of year party. Now that you have all the events, it’s time to treat your employees to a surprise.