If you’re in business, you’re in customer service, and direct employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction are ultimately intertwined. So why not hedge your bets and recognize employees for their time and effort? If you see employees as important investments, then you realize the need to show appreciation for jobs well done, time spent serving your company, and those extra steps some staff members always seem to demonstrate that make us as company owners and compassionate humans just so proud.
Yesterday at a Super Bowl party I attended, an older gentleman told me about working for a company over 30 years. He reminisced about an amazing sales career and told me his own office was filled with top salesperson awards from wall to wall. He was obviously proud of his accomplishments and even more impressed with his company’s continued recognition of his successes by their milestone announcements, gifts, dinners, and those personal touch rewards every employee appreciates.
Even when the company he worked for was forced to downsize and economize on expenses, there were still gifts and dinners to highlight employee recognition. The company originally distributed a company catalog the staff could browse through and select a gift based on their length of service, their contribution to the company, or whatever criteria that enabled a staff member to participate and choose a reward. For instance, there were company branded gift items employees could put on their walls and their desks. Gift certificates were handed out for the local malls, as were personalized gifts, accessories, and lunch invitations with the boss; all meant to show a sincere appreciation of a job well done. When you think about how much it cost to find, hire, and train new employees, isn’t it even more important to consistently demonstrate how important that person is and has been to the workforce community?
Of course, the type of gifts selected depends on the philosophy of the organization. One of the journalism companies I work with has an employee website with access to personalized gifts, gift certificates, and assorted rewards for outstanding staff contributions. The selection of gifts is based on your anniversary date, extra service, and your work evaluations. I think it is far more appreciated than just handing out the obligatory gold watch after 25 years, and it certainly means a lot to anyone when your boss shows the appreciation.
If you want your customers to be served well, serve your employees well too. There’s nothing like walking into a Monday morning staff meeting and having someone hand you a certificate of accomplishment for a job well done.
photo credit: USDAgov
