Imagine working a job where you don’t feel appreciated for your efforts and all of your hard work seems to go unnoticed. This does not exactly sound like the ideal work environment. As a manager, it is your job to make sure your employees feel truly valued so they want to stick around. Next to salary and benefits, one of the key indicators of job satisfaction is whether or not the employee feels valued. Managers who strive to make their employees feel valued, build a strong workplace culture where employees are motivated to go above and beyond to succeed. It is important to remember that good employees are hard to find, so it’s a good idea to make sure they know how much you appreciate them. Here are a few ways that managers can show employees that they are valued.
Make Your Conversations Personal and Intentional
Employees will work best when they feel like they are bringing something special to the table. You can effectively convey this to employees by making your conversations more meaningful. For example, instead of assigning a task and providing contact information, go beyond the basics to reiterate why you chose the employee for that assignment. You could say something like, “You did such a great job with that presentation last week so I think you are the right person for this job.” This simple statement will make the employee feel appreciated and will also motivate them to work just as hard on this new assignment.
Create Challenging Opportunities
One of the best ways to let your employees know that you believe in them is by giving them new opportunities and new challenges. Let them take on a new project, a new leadership role, or ask them to speak at the next workshop. When you trust your employees to take on bigger responsibilities, you are letting them know that you value their work.
Recognize Them
Appreciation is best shown by simply acknowledging the employee and telling them they did a great job. There are lots of simple ways to show your employees you value them. Send a handwritten note of appreciation, send them an email, give them a pat on the back, present them with an award, or mention them during the next team meeting. A little act of appreciation can go a long way in making your employees feel valued.
Connect with Employees
Managers have so many responsibilities and it’s to get distracted by all of them and forget about making time for their employees. However, employees appreciate a manager who takes the time to get to know them and asks about their lives both inside and outside of work. A great way to make employees feel valued is to take a genuine interest in them as people and connect with them on a personal level. Managers can also encourage employee connection with each other by organizing team building activities.
Managers who show value to their employees are going to have a stronger work environment, more motivated employees, and less turnover. Happy employees are also strong advocates for your business and this is important for the employee/client relationship. Making employees feel valued should be part of your business culture, so make it a point to find ways to do just that.