An appreciation program needs to be thoughtfully developed. All employees should be under the same (or similar) criteria for measuring their hard work and, most importantly, employers need to follow-through. We know what it’s like to start a new project like this, everyone is excited about it and so it goes swimmingly in the beginning. But then over time the enthusiasm gets a little buried under the weight of running the business and the program becomes inconsistent. Not a good thing for keeping employee morale at a healthy level.
Let’s discuss the key components in developing and maintaining an employee appreciation program.
The foundation of an EAP
- What is the why behind the EAP? Maybe a quick answer, but it’s important to identify why you want to develop an EAP as it will help to align objectives. Do you want the program to inspire productivity? Or simply to acknowledge an already hard-working team?
- Establish the criteria. How will employee performance be measured? It’s important to identify this AND make sure employees understand (and are allowed to give their feedback) in order for this most important component to work.
- Ensure awards are relevant and desired. Ask your employees for some ideas! You might be surprised.
- Present acknowledgements in a timely manner. This will help to strengthen the employee’s trust in the program as well as help prevent forgetfulness!
- Stay consistent, follow-through, and evaluate the program over time. A good tip for success? Keep it simple. It may be tempting to develop an elaborate EAP but don’t set up something that can’t be easily implemented throughout the year.
An EAP is an excellent tool for building and maintaining company morale and we all know that a happy workplace culture translates into talent retention, innovative collaboration, and greater productivity. Also, acknowledging the hard work of employees is just the considerate thing to do!
If you’re interested in learning more (or getting going!) Eos HR can help! We’re a team of HR professionals helping small businesses implement smart solutions to stay relevant and create positive change in their industry. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.
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