As managers, we’re often focused on the results we and our teams haven’t achieved yet, or we pay a lot of attention to challenges and disappointments and ways workers might let us down.
However, if you want to create a positive corporate culture and retain your top staff members, not to mention get more out of your teams, it’s vital to celebrate wins and successes, too. Here are some tips to keep in mind.
Recognize Achievers by Saying Thank You
For starters, thank your workers when they achieve something great. Having one-on-one conversations with those who have excelled in the workplace will show them that you pay attention to their efforts and successes and appreciate what they do. Sit people down for in-person thank-you chats wherever possible, or have these discussions over video conferencing or email as needed.
Another option is to send a personal handwritten note to those you want to recognize. You might also thank people in a public arena, such as in a meeting, via a company intranet or newsletter, or on social media. It may not seem like a big step, but simply thanking people for getting outstanding results that help you and your business can go a long way to creating an even more dedicated and productive team.
Hand Out Awards
You might like to go further by setting up a rewards program to hand out plaques, certificates, or other physical rewards each month or quarter to those who have achieved the best results in their roles. Or, pay attention to what’s happening and who’s doing what and hand out awards as big successes happen.
Making a big deal out of people who’ve had a significant positive impact on the firm and its bottom line is a great way to highlight how much you appreciate what people do. You can make a fuss of individuals at company-wide or office-wide awards ceremonies or go a little smaller by acknowledging people in a team meeting.
If you find it challenging to determine how best to administer awards, you might like to outsource this task (and some of the other tips listed in this article) to a specialist HR firm such as Workhuman.
Do Something Fun Together as a Team
When a business has a great win in some way, this achievement provides leaders with an excellent opportunity to arrange for a team-building activity of some sort. Depending on your budget and time resources, this can be small, large, or anywhere. For example, you might arrange for everyone to have a lovely catered lunch together in the office, treat your team to a meal at a fine dining restaurant, or put on a party.
You could arrange for the group to play laser tag, go to mini-golf, go on a retreat, or any other ideas you want to make happen. Try to pick outings that you know people will like and that can give everyone a chance to bond more, let off some steam, and celebrate together.
Celebrate When New Employees Achieve Their First Big Goal
Another tip is to celebrate when one of your new employees has their first big success after joining the business or when someone who has recently been promoted to a new role lands their first big win. You might open a bottle of champagne in the office for the team to cheer the person who has made their mark, order a cake, a nice lunch, or simply have a big joint clap for them.
These kinds of celebration help people feel important and seen, no matter how new they might be, and provides a way for them to feel part of the team, too. You want to encourage people to keep up the good work so they keep excelling. Showing them that you can see they’re putting in effort and making headway goes a long way to making this happen.
Hand Out Bonuses or Other Rewards and Perks
Lastly, you might like to hand out physical rewards or arrange for successful teams to enjoy some additional perks. For instance, you could give people cash bonuses, gift cards, vouchers for restaurant meals or nights away, hampers, bottles of wine, or other items.
As for perks, you might let successful teams or offices know they’re getting an extra day off work or will be getting free lunches or massages for a week, etc. It all comes down to what you think will make people smile and that you can handle, budget-wise.
There are many ways you can celebrate successes in the workplace, and no single right option. However, the most crucial thing is that you do take the time and put in the effort to honor your achieving workforce throughout the year.