During the holiday season, many companies take a moment to thank their customers. Whether by having a holiday sale or sending a holiday card, it’s common practice in businesses both big and small to use this time of year as an opportunity to express gratitude. However, the best companies don’t wait for the holidays to start saying thank you, and they don’t just say thank you to their customers.
As John Willard Marriott used to say, companies should take care of their employees because, “If you take care of them, they’ll take care of your customers, and the customers will keep coming back again and again.”
Some employers believe that their gratitude to their employees is expressed in the form of a paycheck, but while a paycheck is the practical reason for coming to work for most people, compensation isn’t the part of their job that motivates them most. Think about it: if money were the only thing that mattered, we would all be computer scientists or corporate lawyers. However, most of us don’t have a passion for computer science or law. We have a passion for the positions we’ve chosen and we all appreciate when our successes within those positions are recognized and rewarded.
Some employees have the self-motivation to go above and beyond of their own volition, regardless of appreciation. However, for the vast majority of employees, recognition from a superior is an important motivator that both validates the work that has been done and encourages more good work in the future. Employees that feel appreciated are much more likely to be happy and satisfied in their jobs, making them more productive and better assets to your company.
The best way to ensure that your employees feel appreciated is to make gratitude a part of your corporate culture. Of course, this is easier said than done, and simply telling your supervisors to be grateful to their employees probably won’t do the trick. Instead, you need to take a business-like approach to integrating gratitude. Incorporate gratitude into your strategic planning so that there are set goals and practical methods for appreciating and recognizing your employees.
Whether you need help developing a system of gratitude or defining your business goals for the year to come, the importance of strategic planning simply can’t be overstated. Give us a call today at 919-510-0426 to learn more about making employee appreciation part of your company’s strategic plan.
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