Employee Encouragement: How to Recognize Excellence

Morale is what makes your business run smoothly — happy employees will always give you the best results. There’s a proven correlation between worker productivity and their overall happiness with their company. As a business owner, you should strive for greater profits, but keeping your employees healthy and happy is just as important.

Sometimes, an employee just needs a little recognition. Giving an employee encouragement doesn’t cost a lot of your time, money, or any other resources, but the payoff is substantial.

Here are a few things that you can do to raise morale with a little employee recognition.

Take ‘Em Out to Eat for Lunch

What’s better than a lunch out at a nice restaurant during work hours? A free lunch. People love eating and not having to worry about the tab makes things even sweeter.

But it’s more than just a free lunch for your employees. You’re connecting with them on a one-to-one basis. Showing them that you’re more than just a boss is a great way to make them feel less like a drone and more like a family member.

Throw a Party

Throwing a party, especially after a good quarter, is a real morale-booster.

It doesn’t have to be extravagant, fancy, or expensive. A table with some pizzas, 2-liter sodas, and a few dozen doughnuts goes a long way.

If you can allow your team a reprieve from work for a half-hour or a full sixty minutes, it’ll be much appreciated. It also shows them that if they do well they’ll be recognized for it.

Shoutouts for Employee Encouragement

Sending a work-wide shoutout for excellence will make the star employee feel really proud of themselves.

Having their name sent out for doing such a great job is a moment worth noticing. They’ll live off of that high for a long time, too.

What’s more important is that it demonstrates to your employees that you’re always watching for excellent work. It isn’t a menacing watch, but it ensures them that good work won’t go unnoticed.

Casual Fridays (or Every Day) 

There’s not a soul on Earth that loves to get up in the morning and put on a suit and tie. Making Friday a casual-wear day is a friendly gesture that extends good faith to your employees. It’s almost like saying “we trust you, so we’re not going to be as strict with our rules.”

Loosening the rein (around their necks) makes for a more friendly environment. It also makes the entire office a little less uptight, which is conducive for good work.

Work from Home Days

Working from home is a coveted benefit. Being able to avoid the drive to work, the monotony of sitting behind the same desk, and rush hour traffic is a godsend.

When your employees do well, you should treat them well. Allowing them to take a certain day off during the week to work from home — assuming they have the proper equipment — can go a long way for your employees.

They’ll be much happier to do their jobs at home, and when they’re back at the office, they’ll be more relaxed. Working from home can also be a sign of good faith.

King of the Hill Trophy

People are competitive, by nature. It’s our inner-caveman that’s always looking to compete and to achieve alpha status. And, people love tokens and trophies.

If you award your star employee with a revolving trophy, it’ll create an atmosphere of competitiveness. Your employees will strive to do their best to win back that trophy.

The concept of the King of the Hill Trophy is simple:

• Start by choosing the highest-earner or most productive worker
• Give them a trophy, and make a big show about it
• Have them keep it on their desk for full view
• When someone has a better week or an impeccable day, pass it on
• Repeat

The constant recognition and air of competition is something to behold. Plus, it gives the employees something fun to look forward to. And if they win, they’ll get bragging rights — everyone loves to gloat.

You can track their progress, and co-workers can track each other’s, with this software.

Written Praise

Do you remember when mom used to sneak love notes into your bagged lunch when you were sent off to school?

There’s something about written praise that’s timelessly affectionate. People like reading notes about them, particularly when they’re glowing reviews.

Leaving a note on an employee’s desk with an “atta’ way” or a “good job!” is special. It’s a very intimate thing to receive from your boss. It’ll make them feel that much closer and happier to work for you.

Saying “Thank You”

Often overlooked, but saying “thank you” has tremendous power.

Employees see bosses as very demanding, most of the time, and when you thank them, they see you differently. It makes you relatable and more of a peer than a demanding tyrant.

Saying “thank you” is costless, but it has such a powerful effect on your constituents. Say it often and when they deserve it.

Excellence Is Always Awarded 

Morale is the driving force for productivity. A happy worker will always produce better work and show less opposition to being at work. Giving employee encouragement is the best way to raise that spirit.

Taking a good employee out to work gives you some good one-on-one time. Throwing a party for a well-deserved quarter is a nice gesture. Doing little things to show that you relate to them, notice their work, and push them creatively and productively make for a better working environment.

Are you interested in learning more about good business and management tactics? Check out our other articles on finance, management, and everything in between.