The Oxford Dictionary's definition of the word appreciation is ‘the pleasure that you have when you recognise and enjoy the good qualities of somebody/something’.

Feeling engaged and valued at work is vital both for an employee and an employer. A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected.

So, the question is, how do you ensure your employees feel appreciated at work? It has to be demonstrated and articulated not simply by receiving a payslip at the end of the week or month, but by exploring options and these can be the smallest of gestures.

Here are a few techniques people2people have implemented, to recognise the hard work and efforts of our teams.

Recognition
We have developed a recognition platform whereby teams vote for their monthly ‘best and fairest’ winners. These are team members who are nominated each month by their peers for their hard work and contribution. We have great perks, including discounted gym memberships, flexible work hours, team events and company events, but it is not just the material recognition. Our input is valued, effort is encouraged, motivation is provided and assist growth, and we celebrate success, the big wins, small wins and the contributions of many who help us get there.

Life Leave
I am sure the first thing that came to mind was; what is life leave? Well life happens and often what happens is beyond our control. For example, the water pipe burst, your garage door needs to be serviced etc, but instead of having to dip into annual leave, at people2people we have access to 5 days of life leave each year and it doesn’t impact our annual leave balance.

So, whether the employee's engagement is temporary, contract or on a permanent basis, make them feel appreciated and valued and without doubt they will go that extra mile. If you are unsure of what your employees need or require; ask them and they will give you plenty of ideas for you to consider and potentially implement.