AMiable Solution #179: Don’t Forget Your Staff

Celebrating your clients, members, or donors helps develop and grow relationships.  It shows them that you recognize their value and worth to you and your organization.  But they aren’t the only ones worthy of saluting.

Celebrating employee anniversaries (hire dates) is just as important.  Even taking just a few minutes to say, “Thank you for working here,” can boost not only the recognized employee’s morale, but also the morale of everyone else in the group.  Who doesn’t want to feel appreciated?

So what’s the best way to honor employees on their anniversaries? 

·        Keep it simple but sincere.  A half-hearted or “check-the-box” attempt could actually create hurt feelings, not feelings of appreciation.  Whatever you do, mean it.

·        Keep it personal.  Depending on the size of your organization, you could be recognizing employee anniversaries frequently.  To keep them from becoming monotonous, and to maintain their value, be sure to personalize each recognition.  Think about what the individual has done to change or improve the dynamics of the group, the way things get done, or the effectiveness of your work.  Make each individual feel special, not like the next name on the list. 

·        Keep it appropriate.  Of course, there are some occasions that just beg for more than a card or a speech.  Employees with long lengths of service deserve a little more hype, whether that means a special party in the break room or a small, personalized gift.  Just make sure you establish a policy regarding such occasions ahead of time and stick with it. 

Whether you present the celebrated employee with a card signed by management or the whole department or you devote 5 or 10 minutes of your department meeting to highlighting the impact the employee has had on the organization or department, taking the time to recognize an individual’s commitment to the company will make your work environment stronger and your organization greater.