Jelly of the month club?

Tis the season to be thankful and if you own a small business it’s a great time to tell your employees that you love them!   Well (unless your married to them) that might be going a little too far – but letting them know they are appreciated will mean a lot to them.   There are the usual ways to show your employees appreciation – a free turkey, secret santa party, jelly of the month club, etc.Most of us would love a little extra cash in our pockets this time of year – but if your coffers are tight there are other ways you can thank your employees that cost little or nothing and will mean a lot more to them than a turkey.

Most of us who work for others want to feel appreciated.   A “thank you” can go a long way to make us feel good and motivate us to continue to work hard for you!  A great way to thank your employees is to write each one a personal note expressing your thanks and why you appreciate them.  Rather than a generic note – site something specifc they did that you appreciate.

Extra time off is something we all appreciate, especially this time of year.   If it’s possible allow your employees some extra time off with pay this season.   Even if its just letting them go at noon on a Friday to take care of Holiday “stuff” – they’ll love you for it!

Some companies offer their employees “well days off” through out the year.   Who wouldn’t want a few days through out the year to take off with pay to do whatever we please?   This alleviates employees calling in “sick” when they’re not and is a great morale and productivity booster.   Consider giving your employees their “free days off” passes this season to be used any time in the coming year!

Having fun at work is one thing employees site in survey after survey as being important to them.  I read about a company that hosts an annual awards event that includes an award for the “Best Idea that Didn’t Work” or call it the “Best Fail of the Year”.  This encourages your employees to be innovative through out the year without the fear of being reprimanded when their ideas fail and find humor in what went wrong.   This could be a fun award to give out at your annual Holiday party!

With a little creativity and thought you can show your employees how much you appreciate them this season without spending a lot of money.  The pay off will be employees that are happy and loyal to you.  Taking care of the employees you have is not only good for workplace morale – its good for your bottom line!   Keep them happy and they in turn will keep you and your customers happy and that’s good for business!