By Jennifer Blanchard | HRTools.com
As the holidays near and the end of the year approaches, companies are looking for ways to tell employees, “Thanks for doing such a good job this year; we appreciate you.” Some companies are giving bonus checks, others are giving gifts and some companies are throwing lavish parties.
But for companies who can’t quite afford to follow suit during these hard economic times, there are other things you can do to make your employees feel rewarded and appreciated.
Acknowledge Your Employees
The main thing to keep in mind when it comes to rewarding employees is this—it’s not about what you do, it’s just about doing it. Employees aren’t looking—especially given the state of the economy currently—for their employer to shower them with gifts or throw expensive parties or give them a huge bonus check; they just want acknowledgement.
If you recognize your employees for their hard work, dedication, meeting goals, etc., they will be happy.
Office Get-Togethers
Companies want to recognize and reward employees for the work they do, but they often need something low-cost, so many companies are turning to office get-togethers as a way of rewarding employees. An office get-together doesn’t have to be expensive or complex; it can be something as simple as taking everyone to lunch or ordering in pizza one afternoon.
Here is a list of some low-cost get-togethers that employers can use to let their employees know they appreciate them and the work they do:
- Order In—Pick one day during the workweek and order lunch for your employees. This can be anything from a simple pizza and soda gathering to a full-blown catered lunch event.
- Grab a Warm Drink—Invite all your employees to the local coffee shop for a Cup-O-Joe and some conversation.
- Have Lunch—Take all your employees to lunch at a local restaurant. If you do this during the work day, you can pay for everything if you’d like, however, if you do this as a dinner event, you can foot the bill, but ask employees to pay for any alcoholic drinks they consume.
- Holiday Bake-Off—Have a holiday bake off at your company. Let employees take a break from working and meet in a common area to share holiday baked goods and coffee/hot chocolate/apple cider. Encourage employees to hang out and mingle with fellow co-workers.
- Go Bowling—Rent out a bowling alley (or part of one) one afternoon and invite all your employees to come and bowl a game or two. Serve snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
Obviously there are tons of variations of these get-together ideas. These are just a few to get you thinking. Get as creative as you want and plan a low-cost get-together that will show your employees you appreciate all their hard work.
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