At the end of the year, there is often a heightened expectation to show appreciation to one’s staff. Whether they help you out around the house or run your company, most of us have people who work for us and feel a desire to show them appreciation!
Whilst paying out bonuses is a common way to do this, not all employers can afford to pay out bonuses and may feel stumped as to how to motivate their team and show them the love they so very much want to.
Here are some tried and tested ways to appreciate your staff without needing to necessarily up your overdraft.
SURPRISE BREAKFAST Without warning, when they arrive at work – take your team out for the morning to have a lavish breakfast on your dime. Depending on your budget, you could choose anything from the local Woolies cafe through to a wine estate or fine dining establishment nearby.
Breakfasts are a great way to treat your staff but they are also a space where you can have some quality personal conversations and find out how their families are doing – and talk about non-work topics that you never really get to do in the rush of the day.
EXTRA TIME OFF As you near the last days of work, you can let your staff leave at lunch time. This way, you are still able to keep your doors open until the most opportune moment, but your staff are able to start entering the holiday spirit, maybe run some errands before their leave, so that they can rest and relax during their time off and return to work energised and creatively ready to tackle the new year!
Giving them half-days will most likely have very little impact on your bottom line, but it will have a big impact on your team in terms of feeling appreciated!
ONLINE APPRECIATION Take a look through some online flower/gift delivery websites, and have some surprise gifts delivered to the office. The novelty of having something delivered at work, that is for you, from your boss – has huge appreciation value!
Whatever you do, let your team know that they matter… and that you care!