How Employee Appreciation Can Motivate Your Team

If you’re like most companies, you probably have an employee appreciation program—perhaps one that marks anniversaries celebrates big accomplishments, or acknowledges employee birthdays. But I’ve noticed that during COVID-19, when your team members are feeling stressed and anxious, increasing your employee appreciation efforts can really pay off.

At Crêpes à Latte, our own core business of creating experiences at tradeshows has been disrupted by the pandemic. Despite the challenges, we’ve stuck together because we have a strong company culture that makes people feel valued. We try to show our appreciation to each other every day, through being transparent and authentic in our communication with employees. Whether we’re in-person or on a Zoom call, we know that inspiring our team can create a ripple effect of positivity through the company and support our team's mental well-being in a world that has increased uncertainty and negativity. While we’ve all had to make personal sacrifices, staying together as a leaner team will help us rebuild as a company when live events return.

As our clients pivoted to virtual events, we realized we could help them build that same sense of positivity and encouragement within their companies, too. So we created #BetterTogether boxes to help our clients make the most of their remote events and keep employees engaged.

As I’ve led my team through this crisis and helped other leaders nurture their own teams with #BetterTogether boxes, I’ve learned a few lessons about the power of employee appreciation. And I think they could be helpful to you as well!

 Employee appreciation boosts productivity

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a lot of people have debated whether work-from-home arrangements have made employees more productive or less productive. But it turns out that regardless of your company’s working situation, one of the best things you can do to improve productivity is to show employees how much they matter. In a study conducted by the Wharton School, researchers found that people who received messages of gratitude from their managers were 50% more productive during the following week. And in a Glassdoor study, 81% of employees said they were motivated to work harder after their company showed its appreciation. At Crêpes à Latte, our team of employee-owners demonstrated their commitment by taking on an all hands on deck approach to navigating this crisis, we’ve all packed boxes & contribute to getting the job done together. So whether you send your employees #BetterTogether boxes or make some other heartfelt gesture, you can benefit from the same productivity boost.

Appreciation makes employees more engaged

I think that as employers, we assume that our team members’ job satisfaction is tied to their compensation. While this is true to a point, studies have shown that employees place a greater emphasis on holding a job that makes them feel engaged and appreciated. In a study by Gallup, only 37% of “engaged” employees said they would leave their current jobs for a raise of 20% or less. Among “disengaged” employees, that number jumped to 54%. By making your employees feel engaged, enthusiastic, and appreciated, you can retain your most talented team members without major salary boosts.

Appreciation boosts company morale

COVID-19 has caused a dramatic rise in anxiety, and your employees are not immune. They’re living through an unpredictable time and perhaps even worried about their own job security. Plus, your employees may be working remotely or split between offices, challenging the sense of community you’ve built at your company. Employee appreciation can help address all of these challenges. And if your employee appreciation efforts are tied to an all-company meeting (even a virtual meeting), you can build an immediate sense of camaraderie and common purpose among your staff.

So whether you have existing employee engagement programs or you’re just starting out, now is the time to make sure your team members feel engaged, valued, and appreciated—both for their benefit and for yours.

 To learn how Crêpes à Latte can help you recognize your employees with customized #BetterTogether Boxes, visit BetterTogetherBoxes.net or call us at 773.860.3366.