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How to Show Your Employees You’re Thankful for Them

While the holidays are a good time to express gratitude to your staff, hopefully you have been doing it all year long.

Good companies make a habit of showing appreciation year-round, often by making sure their managers regularly acknowledge employee contributions. Little unexpected surprises and tokens of appreciation distributed throughout every season help worker feel highly valued all through the year.

And yet, during the holidays, it’s a tradition to go above and beyond in thanking employees. Here are a few suggestions on how you can make your workers feel special this holiday season.

Take a trip

Whether it’s to the local ice rink or the shopping mall, taking a little trip during the holidays is a great way to both show appreciation and get to know your staff better. Sometimes, the default move is to invite everyone out for a happy hour, but there are plenty of get-togethers companies can do that don’t put the focus primarily on alcohol.

Potluck lunch

Holding a potluck is standard approach to bringing your staff members together, and it costs an employer very little. Encourage the foodies on your staff to whip up their most impressive dish. Or, you could hold a competition like a chili cook-off.

When holding a potluck, make sure you set aside enough time so workers have a chance to truly enjoy the event, and not just eat and run.

Provide a catered breakfast

Catered lunches have been a common way for a company to express thanks to employees. However, these events are often held throughout the year and can lose their luster a bit once the holidays roll around.

A fresh twist on the catered lunch is to provide breakfast for employees. The gesture can have a bigger impact if you surprise your team with it and make it a point to express your gratitude during the meal. Just be sure to consider allergies, preferences and religious guidelines before taking it upon yourself to order breakfast for others.

Offer flexible scheduling for the holidays

With all of the shopping, parties, school events and bad weather, the holidays can be a bit rough on people’s schedules. If your company isn’t offering it already, the holidays are a great time to incorporate some flexibility into employee schedules.

If such a policy will result in hairy staffing situations, post a calendar employees can use to negotiate flexing their time.

Create fun traditions

From holding a “Secret Santa” gift exchange to creating a holiday scrapbook, there are countless holiday traditions that companies can have to show appreciation to their employees. Asking employees what tradition they would like to start is a great way to generate ideas and increase employee buy-in.

Pets at work

Companies that allow pets at work report higher employee morale, engagement and loyalty. The holidays are a great time to thank your staff members by allowing them to bring in their furry friends.

Contact Career Concepts today to discuss how a custom staffing solution can help your organization achieve its goals.

Blog published date

Nov 22, 2017
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