26 Effective Ways to Show Employees You Value Their Work

According to numerous studies, businesses with low employee engagement rates relentlessly seek to reduce productivity. Therefore, engagement must be maintained and increased. But first, you need to figure out what is meant by engagement.

Engagement is a heightened emotional connection with the organisation, causing employees to volunteer more effort to get the job done. You can assess the degree of involvement by the following criteria:

positive feedback from employees about the company;

the need to be part of the organisation;

additional efforts in the work on their own initiative.

The easiest way is to determine the degree of employee engagement by the results of his work, by his behaviour at all levels of interaction. See how he communicates with colleagues, management, clients, is he trying to solve non-standard situations or is he shying away from responsibility, declaring that this is not his responsibility? Engagement is a valuable quality and needs to be developed. You can do it by showing your employees that you value their work and here’s how to do it:

1. Flexible hours

Some organisations require workers to be present at the workplace during the main working hours, while the employee can organise his schedule according to these main hours. Others allow employees to schedule work as they need. Most companies require that a schedule be agreed in advance so that managers can plan work. The schedule can be adjusted to suit personal needs, such as doctor visits.

2. Days of innovation

Set aside a few days a year to allow employees to step back from their normal duties and devote time to workflow and workplace projects. The next morning, you can discuss the results in a general meeting.

3. Monthly allowances for public transport

Offer employees a monthly subsidy ($100 or so) for those using public transportation.

4. Use of the company’s kitchen

Provide complimentary coffee, soft drinks and light snacks for staff during business hours. Want to do more? Keep a supply of organic milk, fresh fruit, and add healthy foods to your shopping list.

5. Support for a healthy lifestyle

Employees can receive refunds for fitness-related purchases (up to $300 per year). For example, partial reimbursement of the cost of a gym membership, the purchase of sports equipment — sneakers, a yoga mat, a bicycle, etc.

6. Free lunch

Order lunch once a week for all of your employees to encourage communication.

7. Parental leave

You can instantly make your company special by giving your employees the right to keep their paycheck in full while on vacation after the birth or adoption of a child.

8. No dress code

Let your employees show their individuality and sense of fashion.

9. Summer hours

Allow your employees to go home early on Fridays during the summer months, which will allow them to cope with the heat, as well as traffic jams if they travel out of town on weekends.

10. Free massage chair

Fifteen minutes in a chair once a week, and employees will return to their workplaces refreshed, ready to solve complex problems.

11. Remote work

With increasing mobility and digitalisation, many employees can easily and successfully work part-time or full-time from home if they want to.

12. Choosing a technology platform

Offer employees a choice of platform or software they work on.

13. The flexibility of paid vacation

Employees can choose how to use their paid vacation time (extended leave, additional sick leave, or personal time) to best meet their specific concerns.

14. A culture of work-life balance

Create an atmosphere in your office where it is normal to leave the office before 8 p.m.

15. Benefits for part-time workers

Many organisations treat these employees as temporary workers. Give them extra benefits, and they’ll behave like full-time employees in no time.

16. Cultural bonuses

Offer employees reward with tickets to concerts, movies, excursions, or sports events. Be sure to set aside some money for your employees to cover the costs of the babysitter.

17. Creative leave

Employees can get an additional one-month leave after five years of service or two months’ leave after 10 years of service.

18. Laundry service

Find a laundry and dry cleaning company to collect your employees’ clothes and return them to the office clean and ironed.

19. Car care

The company can negotiate car care services while employees are working.

20. Charity

The company can support employee charitable donations by making additional donations based on what the company can afford.

21. Employee Referral Program

Good people know other good people, and the best people are usually hired through acquaintances. Anyone who has recommended a candidate for the job can count on a cash bonus.

22. Green Initiatives

Provide better parking spots or subsidies for hybrid vehicles.

23. Paid leave for volunteering

Employees are given a certain amount of time to volunteer in their communities.

24. Cleaning services

To truly wow your employees, hire a professional cleaning company to clean up your employees’ home every two weeks.

25. Take care of the dinner

Take care of those who matter to you by using vendors who can supply healthy ready-to-eat meals so employees can buy them and take them home for dinner.

26. Taking care of family members

When employees have to work late hours, their spouses have to carry a double load. Celebrate their contributions by sending flowers or gift hampers with a message saying how much you appreciate their participation.

Conclusion

We note that the options for actions for companies can be different — depending on the involvement of management, the specifics of relationships in the team, background. In some cases, emotional involvement does not require special costs: there is already a close-knit team that is loyal to the business and ready to consciously work for the good of the company, and all that remains is to maintain this spirit and morale. Somewhere it will take a lot of work, a combination of tangible and intangible methods, trial and error. But, what is nice, the effort spent always gives a result, so it is worth trying all possible methods.