How to appreciate employees (Part 1)

As an employer, you need to be aware of situations and act accordingly to the situation. When employees do something great or achieve a great feat for the organization, they expect the boss to mention it. Indeed, appreciation only makes the individual want to do more. You may feel tempted to wait for that next company occasion before announcing appreciation publicly. Still, there are other ways of appreciating an employee who does well to put effort into trying to achieve more.

“Thank you.” This expression flies around several times in a day, but it goes a long way in showing your employees that you appreciate them. Once in a while, when they do something nice, such as helping you with a cup of coffee or submitting that proposal in time for final perusal, thank them briefly with a smile, and you may have made someone's day a whole lot brighter.

When jobs are done well, say it. Let the person know how good he has done and tell them to keep it up. This displays your confidence in them and how happy you are that they have not let you down. Also, take is steps further by mentioning the things you're happy about in the task. This makes them realize that you really checked their work out and not just giving vague gratitude.

Give incentives. When an employee has remained consistent for a while, it is important to appreciate them by giving incentives. This encourages them to do more and tells others they would be equally appreciated if they do well at their jobs.

The Workplace Shaping Trends in this Era

Indeed, we can all agree that the workplace, as we know it, is changing. This is especially true considering the tough decisions we have had to make in response to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses and people were forced to adopt new methods, and as a result, more contemporary trends that seemed far-reached some years ago are gradually becoming the new normal.

Getting accustomed to these new trends will allow you to work better and be more productive. These trends are numerous, but we will highlight notable ones here. Technology is one of the most significant trends shaping the workplace through robotics, big data, automation, the internet of things, cloud storage, video, social media, etc. All these technologies allow us to transact with clients and connect with coworkers in newer ways, and they are going to be key moving on.

Newer behaviors over the years have forced us to work differently. Now, we are comfortable with giving our information to people we have never seen or do not know before. This will ensure that people from around the world work more as a community, collaborating and communicating efficiently while sharing personal experiences more readily.

Soon, millennials in the workplace are already constituting about half of the workforce. The projection is that by 2025, the percentage would be 75%. This generation will be so massive that they will determine the workplace's values, ideas, and methods.

Generally, these factors and others would bring more flexibility to the workplace, and we would have to embrace newer alternatives in work practices and work culture.

Why Healthy Competition is Needed in The Workplace

As an organization, you should do everything to attract top talent. When you now attract talent and conscious career employees, what next? Next is to cultivate a healthy competition culture in the workplace. It’s all about being able to squeeze more juice out of your employees. In bringing about a competitive workplace, be guided by the idea that while some of your employees will thrive in competition, others will struggle to get noticed and ahead.

Usually, the workplace is competitive. Don’t be too serious with the competition elements introduced. As a start, let it be known to all the employees that the company’s vision, goals, and mission is bigger than their individual aspirations. As much as there will be competition, everyone should learn to put the team; first, the company is the team. Competition in the workplace should not be about who wins, but also about who should be dragged along. No one should be left behind in the achievement of company goals.

Everyone should be encouraged to be driven inwardly; this will make the outward drive merge towards development. As much as there is an emphasis on the company goals, a focus should also be on personal goals. With the recognition of the importance of personal goals, employees are driven to work harder not just for themselves but the company.

Best Kept Secrets of Being Valued By an Employer

Every business wants to attract employees that can consistently add value to the organization. Being able to add value to the company and its customers means you will command more salary than your peers and you are likely to be provided more opportunities than them. When tough times visits a business, employers always ensure that even if someone must leave, your position will never be jeopardized.

To prove you are of value to the employer means you must stand above others in your deliverables. It should all start with your knowledge of the industry in which your business operates. Armed with this knowledge, you will be the walking encyclopedia of the company. No one will ever let go of the knowledge powerhouse of their business.

Being reliable and flexible is another value that every employer looks out for. It’s nothing but value if your employer knows you can dutifully represent the business and bring home the goodies at all times. In all of these, being a positive mind also counts. Having a positive influence on others and during projects is a strong point of being valued. As much as you should not show off, make your values noticeable in the business environment.

Staying On The Positive Side of Social Media as an Employer

You cannot ask your employees to stay totally off social media, the only extent you can go is to ask them to curb the use during office hours. It’s even possible that you recruited these talents from LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

What you should do is to put in place a clear social media policy in order to ensure it is used appropriately, outside of office environment, and limit use during working hours. To serve as a guide for drafting your social media policy, gather input from your current employees. As for the tone of the policy, don’t adopt a restrictive approach and not focus on disciplinary actions for misconduct.

State clearly in the policy guide of being mindfulness of the company’s reputation when acting on behalf of the company on social media. If they also mention that they work at your organization, there should always be a disclaimer that opinion expressed is theirs and not the company.

When acting on behalf of the company on social media, a good thought should go into every post. How it could hurt or affect the company should be a top priority. Utmost respect should be given to intellectual properties of others, every source should be credited.