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Confidence is powerful. Self-respect not only improves mental health but also translates to productivity at the office. Confidence empowers people to face obstacles head-on, see the positive in situations and take smart risks. Any boss would be happy to see these qualities in their employees.

You can easily improve the confidence level of your staff by making a few changes to the way you communicate and present information. Get started with one or two of these tactics this week and watch confidence levels soar at your workplace!

Recognize Strengths and Achievements

A pat on the back does wonders for employees who have a low self-esteem. In a small office, make it a point to recognize something positive with each employee every few days. Congratulate them on reaching a goal or compliment progress on a project. In larger work environments, use the company newsletter, intranet or daily announcements to give positive shout outs.

Promote Positivity Each Day

The negative voices in our heads that make us second guess our choices can squash confidence quickly. Try adding positivity quotes to your email signature, post inspirational memes on the company social media accounts and create a cheerful upbeat environment. Diffusing invigorating citrus essential oils, offering daily meditation breaks and starting the day with a joke over the office intercom is sure to spark a few smiles.

Celebrate Employee Accomplishments

Whether you do it monthly, or annually, set aside time to truly focus on the staff and what they’ve brought to the business over the years. An appreciation dinner or work retreat that highlights long-term achievements, work anniversaries and pivotal ideas that have ensured company success deserve to be celebrated. Reward the staff with certificates of achievement, a little goodie bag of their favorite treats and a small monetary reward or gift card to show gratitude from the company.

Set Realistic, Monitored Goals

Every business creates internal benchmarks for success. Why not make them known to the entire staff, and break them into individual steps to be celebrated? For example, rather than focusing on a year-end financial goal, celebrate each week or month when you’re on track to hit the ultimate goal. This builds confidence gradually and the momentum of success lasts throughout the year.

If you’re ready to make some changes, now is the time to stock up on awards, certificates and small gifts to use as tokens of appreciation from the company. Browse the PaperDirect online store today for ideas!

March 3 is the twelfth annual celebration of Employee Appreciation Day. Even better, in 2017, Employee Appreciation Day falls on a Friday, which opens up so many opportunities for recognizing your hardest working staff members.

So take some time to let your people know you appreciate them because your company couldn’t run without them. What’s more, your team deserves it, don’t they?

If you’re out of ideas on how to celebrate this Employee Appreciation Day, here are some ways to do it right.

Foooood

If you’ve got a little extra cash to spend on Employee Appreciation Day, consider bringing in food. Breakfast, lunch–it doesn’t much matter. If you want to go all out, bring in a breakfast burrito bar/station. Grab tortillas, eggs, potatoes, cheese, and extra toppings. Don’t forget the coffee and creamer!

Get Your Employees Personalized Certificates of Appreciation

There’s no better way to celebrate your employees’ accomplishments than by giving them a little token that they can appreciate for months to come.

Happy Hour

In most states, restaurants hold happy hours from 3-6ish. (if your state doesn’t celebrate happy hours, we are sorry) Take your team out of the office, find a chill pub, and buy everyone’s first round. This gets them talking and puts them in good spirits for the weekend.

Communicate Your Appreciation

Everyone knows you’re busy running the show, so you might not have time to plan some kind of employee appreciation event. If that’s the case, then take some time to express how much you appreciate your employees’ hard work. Be specific.

Catch Some Zzs

If your work can swing it, announce that your team gets an hour to sleep in come Monday morning. Instead of the 8-sharp start, have people report by 9 am.

Send Them to the Movies

Get some movie tickets for a Friday matinee and then send your employees out to have some fun during the middle of the work day.

Tell Them to Get Out

Your team can spend the time together or they can each retire to their own homes, but you have zero chance of anyone complaining about being told to go home a few hours early.

Let Them Pick

Call a meeting in advance, set the budget, and then have your team pick whatever activity you guys will do on Employee Appreciation Day. Whether you hit a bar, do lunch, go bowling, or just stay at home, when the group decides your chances of a popular celebration skyrocket.

Most importantly, your employees want your appreciation to be genuine and specific. Simply letting them know they’re doing a good job doesn’t cut it. Be specific about what parts of the job they perform well and they’ll appreciate your taking the time to notice.

You love spoiling your staff. Now, make it fit into your yearly budget! With a few simple steps, HR pros and administrative staff can add a well-planned line item to the expense proposal when budgeting for employee recognition. This will make your employees feel appreciated throughout the new year!

Calculate the Number of Employees

First, you have to know how many people you realistically are going to recognize throughout the coming year. In addition to active staff, don’t forget to factor in potential new hires and temp employees that you will pull in for special projects. You might also include independent contractors who dedicate ample time helping to grow your business!

Estimate a Realistic Budget Per Person

Start by getting a rough idea of how much you spent last year on employee recognition by looking at old receipts or accounts payable files. A simple estimate is a good starting point.

Then, do some research to learn the cost of your most popular recognition gifts, including certificates, plaques, trophies, gift baskets or gift cards. Add an extra 10 percent or so to pad for increases in costs of goods and unexpected expenses. Once you have an estimate, multiply it by the number of people you plan to recognize.

A Per Person Budget Might Look Something Like This

• 10+ Year Employees – $500 in gifts and recognition X # of employees
• 5+ Year Employees – $300 in gifts and recognition X # of employees
• Below 5 Year Employees – $100 in gifts and recognition X # of employees
• CEO or leadership recognition

Create a Separate All Staff Budget

After budgeting for employee recognition on an individual basis, think of the entire office as a whole. Set aside funds for a few all-company parties, include holiday gatherings, birthdays, celebrating company successes or employee milestones. Decide how many of these gatherings you can afford per year, and put a price cap on each to cover decorations, food, entertainment and party favors.

An office Recognition budget May Look Something Like This

• Company Wide Parties – $1,000 X 3 Parties
• Holiday Party or Event – $5,000
• Company Breakfast $100 X 12 months

Stick to Your Annual Spending Plan

Finally, the only way to make a budget stick is to actually follow it! When prepping for any employee recognition or company party, inform all planning committee members of the budget. To stay in line, you may need to get a little creative and shop around for the best prices, use coupons or shift your plans a bit to stay on track. Potluck, anyone?

As you work on your budget, and price gifts for your employees, stock up on the most popular way to recognize a job well done — a certificate of appreciation! Shop Paper Direct’s online store today so you can have several varieties of these go-to awards on hand.

At the end of the year, it’s only natural to take a few minutes and reflect on the great work your employees did over the previous twelve months. What better way to show them that you sincerely appreciate all the great work they’ve done for you and the company than with a little recognition that’s unique to them.

As an employee, few things are more rewarding than being singled out and having your individual contribution to the team recognized publicly. You might be surprised how much mileage you will get out of a certificate with a personalized message on it.

Short on ideas (or short on time)? Here are some suggestions for the rockstar employees in your office.

Pop Culture

1. David Bowie Award. The David Bowie Award is for the employee who never fails to make magic when given an assignment.

2. Beyonce Award. Got a worthwhile diva in your office? Someone with loads of personality who’s always willing to help a coworker?

3. BB-8 Award for Pluck. Who’s more lovable than Star Wars’ spark plug of a droid. He may not be the star of the show, but BB-8 is always an invaluable member of the team.

4. The Sansa Stark Award for Perseverance. Have you had an employee take on a particularly expansive, exhausting project this year? This is the perfect award for them!

5. The Steel Magnolias Award. Have you got a team of ladies who’ve banded together to get the job done? Celebrate that achievement with the Steel Magnolia Award.

6. The Eleven Award. Have you got a newcomer who’s risen to the occasion in a big way? They’re your Eleven.

7. The Luke Cage Award for Toughness. For the salesperson or customer service rep who’s responsible for handling a particularly ornery client, a little toughness is always part of the equation.

8. The Tony Stark Award for Innovation. If a member of your team has managed to make an invaluable process more efficient or figured out some new means of capital, they deserve to be compared to one of comics’ greatest geniuses.

9. The Chimichanga Award. Got an off-kilter joker in your office? Someone who never fails to brighten everyone’s day with their weird perspective? Celebrate like a Deadpool fan with the Chimichanga Award.

General

1. Lamplighter Award. Is someone always at their desk when everyone else is long gone? They’re your lamplighter.
2. The Office Mom Award. If someone in your office is always willing to listen to someone’s problems or bring in some food for an office potluck, they’re your provider, the Office Mom.
3. The ‘Glued To Your Seat’ Award. When there’s somebody in your office who always seems to be at their desk, they might deserve this little bit of recognition.
4. The Awwwww-Ward. Admit it, there’s someone in your office who’s always quick to share the newest cute animal pic. These pics are perfect for a short break in between assignments, and your employee should be rewarded for it.
5. The Great Communicator. With all the means of communication available in a modern office, people who actually take the time to use them are few and far between. Why not celebrate those members of your team who are always clear and open about their plans?

6. The Reader. Let’s be honest, of all the emails and memos that run through the typical office, how much do you think really gets read by employees? Most people are probably lucky to read about 40 percent of the text that comes through their inbox. Then, there’s this person, who seems to read everything that’s put in front of them, whether it applies to their department or not. That’s something to be commended.

Funny

1. The Know-it-All. Every good office has someone who seems to know everything. Whether it’s in-depth details on the company’s latest project or the results of the 1943 World Series, you can ask this person and they’ll know. Know-it-all isn’t an insult if it’s true.
2. The Unofficial Techie Award. Before you call the tech guys, you always call this person, someone who gladly takes time out of their busy day to help you figure out why your mouse won’t work, or why your computer keeps freezing. They’re a hero.
3. The Worm Award. Who’s the first person in the office every morning? They’re your early bird, and what is it that early birds are after? Make their dream come true.
4. Captain Coffee Bean. Offices run on coffee, right? No one knows that more than the brave soul who’s always the first one to fill up a pot of coffee for consumption. It’s a real public service and it deserves to be rewarded as such.
5. The Bogey. Every office has a cool guy or girl. They’re the one everyone seems to admire, the one everyone invites out for a few relaxing drinks. They’re your Bogey (or Bacall, as the case may be).

Make the award ceremony extra special with eye-catching certificates from PaperDirect – browse our options today!

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s almost time to express thanks for all your employees’ hard work over the previous year. While you’re likely thinking of giving them a bonus or some other token of your gratitude, don’t underestimate a personal note that expresses your gratitude and deepens your employer-employee relationship.

If you’re looking to thank your employees for a year of hard work this holiday season, but you’re coming up short on what to tell them, then let some of these suggestions help grease the creative wheels.

Happy Holidays From the Jerk Who Bothers You Five Days a Week

You may not actually be a tough boss, but there’s no harm in poking a little fun at the image that a lot of bosses have nationwide. On the off chance someone actually agrees with you, they’ll still give you points for poking fun at yourself.

Wishing You the Happiest of Holidays and Thanks for a Hard Year’s Work

It’s an oldie, but a goodie. It’s very possible to overthink your message to your employees, which can lead you to some pretty convoluted season’s greetings. Your employees just want to know that you notice and appreciate their hard work; sometimes the best course of action is to say exactly that.

For All You’ve Done All Year Long, Thanks Doesn’t Seem to Be Enough … But That’s All You’re Going to Get

This one is a bit of a dice roll, but if you have an employee or two with a wry sense of humor, they might really appreciate this sentiment … especially if you’re padding it with a $15 to $20 gift certificate or trinket.

The Holidays May Not Last a Long Time, But at Least You’re Not Here!

It’s okay to jokingly acknowledge the fact that your employees may very well have lives outside the office. As the boss, you might be super invested in your job, but it’s possible that a lot of your employees prioritize their friends and family above being in a cubicle. If you’re willing to acknowledge that you understand that fact, it’ll go a long way.

Seasons Greetings to an Invaluable Member of the Team

Another serious angle, this one is really buoyed by adding a specific trait you appreciate about the employee or giving a specific compliment on a previously completed project. The real key to making a “serious” thank you work is to inject a little specificity into the message. It doesn’t need to be super precise, but it should be tailored to your specific audience.

Shop PaperDirect for 25-packs of greeting cards– perfect for sending a corporate message to an employee.

Giving out employee office awards at the end of the year is a great way to celebrate the year and boost moral. While traditional office awards are tried and true, you may be wanting to spice things up with some relevant, clever superlatives.  Some consider this year quite the trainwreck, so let’s bid farewell with these office award ideas- 2016 style.

The Moderator Award

Coming to you from the presidential debates, The Moderator Award goes to the person in your organization that easily mediates issues between fellow employees or properly elevates issues so they get fixed.

Schumer Humor Award

Amy Schumer had a rockstar year in 2016. If there’s a funny lady in your office, give them this award.

The Final Five Award

This award should go to a team (ideally five) of employees that came together, worked hard, and got stuff done. Inspired by the goal medal winning USA gymnastics team, this is quite the honor.

The Eleven Award

This award is inspired by the hit show Stranger Things (if you haven’t seen it, do it!) The Eleven award could be awarded to someone who came from another business and adapted quickly or to someone who sent an evil client back to the underworld.

The Reboot Award

Inspired by allll the recent reboots (Fuller House, Gilmore Girls), this should be awarded to someone who was maybe stuck in a rut, but changed their attitude and came out a stellar employee.

The Mmm Tasty Award

@Goodful slays! These are a nice healthy treat – follow them for more healthy eats! Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls Serves 12 INGREDIENTS 1 cup all-natural peanut butter 1 cup almond flour ⅓ cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup dark chocolate chips PREPARATION 1. In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, almond flour, honey, and vanilla extract until the mixture thickens and sticks together. 2. Roll the mixture into balls half an inch in diameter. 3. In a small bowl, melt the dark chocolate chips in the microwave no more than 15 seconds at a time. 4. Using a spoon or fork, dip the peanut butter balls in the melted chocolate and toss to fully coat. 5. Transfer the balls to a wax or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate at least one hour. 6. Enjoy! NOTE: For this recipe, be sure to use a no-stir, all-natural peanut butter.  Using a natural peanut butter that separates may cause the ball mixture to be too loose.

A video posted by Tasty (@buzzfeedtasty) on Sep 30, 2016 at 12:35pm PDT

If you haven’t been bombarded with delectable Facebook food videos, you’re missing out. This award should go to someone who is always bringing in food to the office. We salute you!

Spock Award

Star Terk forever! If anyone on your team is both smart and a Star Trek lover, this is the perfect award.

The Car Karaoke Duo Award

This award should go to a dynamic duo in your office.

Be sure to show them a popular duo karaoke video as you present this one.

Better Than Phelps Award

If there’s someone on your team that has been kicking butt for years, they deserve the better than Phelps award.

The Perseverance Award

In honor of Leonardo Decaprio who finally got an Oscar, give out a perseverance award to someone who has been pushing for success for a long time.

The Comeback Award

This one’s in honor of LeBron James and the entire Cleaveland basketball team. They were facing a 1-3 win/loss ratio when they came back to win 3 consecutive games and the national championship. This award could go to a person who brought culture back into the company or came back from a tough personal experience.

The Lemonade Award

Did someone turn lemons into lemonade this year? Good! This fits perfectly into the viral Beyonce HBO special that was released last April.

The Hodor Award

For the most polite person in your office, who always holds the door for people.

Level Up Award

Pokemon Go was the app of the summer. Nintendo stock shot up, people got outside, business were attributing growth to the game. It was (and still is) impressive. This award should go to the person that grew the most in your company.

There you have it. Hopefully, these inspired you for your end of the year company party. If you’re looking to present physical certificate papers, stop by PaperDirect. We offer all styles and colors of certificate paper.

Shop now.

Most people grew up counting down the days until school ended and summer vacation began. A Captivate Network study found that workplace productivity drops 20 percent during the summer months. “Projects take 13 percent longer to complete and workers are 45 percent more distracted.”

Knowing that people are more distracted during the summertime, you can take preemptive steps to motivate employees when the weather heats up.

Communicate with Employees

Ask your staff what would make their summers better. Would flex time be more useful than having every other Friday off? What do they think about mandatory summer vacations? Begin a dialogue about what summer expectations are so managers can adjust accordingly for the season.

Flexible Scheduling

One of the most effective ways to motivate employees during the summer is to offer them opportunities to rearrange their schedules.

That could mean later start times on certain days, work from home shifts, or working four 10-hour days and taking Mondays/Fridays off.

Make it easier for your employees to spend extra time enjoying the summer weather with their friends and family.

Promote Volunteerism

Encourage teams to take some time away from the office to work together on a volunteer project. The sense of accomplishment that the team feels after they’ve completed a major task for a nonprofit organization will make a noticeable difference in the overall mood of these employees.

Eat Together

Eat lunch outside with your staff during the summer.

Set up some picnic tables and host a picnic potluck, encouraging employees to bring in fun foods for an outdoor lunch. Or once a week, everyone can bring in their own lunches to eat picnic-style with their colleagues and managers. Find creative ways to gather your staff together for meals throughout the summer to ensure everyone is well-fed for the work ahead.

Team Building Activities

When people are slogging to complete projects, get them out of their seats and actively working together in creative, non-work related ways. Use games and challenges to stimulate thinking, encourage communication, and strengthen team bonds.

Get Outside

If you can host a meeting sitting outside rather than in a conference room, do it.

While it might seem counterproductive, the fresh air will have a positive effective on unmotivated employees.

Allow people to bask in the warm summer sun while working together. Shaking things up by moving venues might encourage new ideas that could work to your benefit.

Launch Employee Recognition Programs

Your business has considered starting an employee recognition program, and there is no better time to launch it than during the summer.

It’s an excellent way to motivate employees to power through their work, regardless of the season. Be sure to reward them with certificates and other formal methods of recognition to make your program a successful motivational tool.

“There are no little jobs. Only little desks.”

“There’s one simple action that can dramatically increase any manager’s success in gaining the support and engagement of subordinates: recognize great work,” wrote David Sturt in the Harvard Business Review last year. “In two separate but recent studies involving nearly 3,500 employees, from startups to Fortune 100 companies, we found that recognition directly affects morale and engagement.”

Despite its importance, employee recognition ends up on the back burner for a number of reasons.

Why is this?

“Clients Come First”

Many companies are still in the mindset that the customer is always the top priority, but is that true?

There have been countless studies that support the claim that the customer isn’t always right, and putting their concerns over your employee’s can be damaging to morale.

Treat your employees well. Compensate them fairly. Trust them. This employee-first attitude can pay off in big ways.

Lacking Enthusiasm

You’ve tried to launch an employee recognition program but after a few months, enthusiasm dries up.

If your employee recognition efforts did not make an impression on or engage your staff, it might be due to a lack of real incentive to be recognized. For example, if you’re running an employee of the month program, award recipients with a custom certificate along with a gift or cash that speaks to their interests or personality.

You have to make official recognition a worthwhile proposition for employees if you want them to feel inspired to work their hardest.

Unscheduled Efforts

Time has a way of getting away from you.

The year begins with new business and projects to tend to and before you know it, it’s December and you’re organizing the holiday party.

However, if managers and executives know that every other week they should take 30 minutes to write a few personal notes to exceptional team members, and that time is blocked out on their calendars, then that employee recognition technique will become a regular part of their schedules.

You have to make the time to recognize employees, otherwise, you’ll let other tasks take priority.

Directionless

You want to put employee recognition practices into play but you don’t know where to start. From establishing clear criteria to developing a thorough recognition program with various levels, managers should work with the human resources department to create a solid employee recognition strategy.

Making clear cut guidelines provides you with a roadmap for successful employee recognition!

Getting a paycheck is good, but being recognized for a job well done on top of the paycheck can be even better.

Regularly recognizing employee efforts and achievements can go a long way toward motivating top performance and maintaining a high morale. These employee recognition tools can help you do just that.

Online Employee Recognition Tools

Online employee recognition tools include tons of software apps that make it easy to provide, track and reward top performance. Teamphoria is one example of the handful of programs out there, with the platform serving as a veritable recognition factory, both internally and outside the company.

Live streaming showcases all the recognition sent to and from various managers, team members, peers, and employees, with four different award levels that let recipients rack up points. You can display the stream publicly while also allowing clients and guests to provide praise to employees when due.          

Cash Award Programs

Cash is one of those employee recognition tools that never goes out of style. We’re not talking about a $20 here or there, either.

Take a cue from the University of California and spread the love with generously. The university’s Achievement Award rewards employees with $2,000 for exceptional contributions over an extended period. The Spot Award offers $500 for extraordinary contributions as they occur.

Certificate Programs

Doling out cash can severely limit the number of awards your company provides, but you can keep the love flowing less expensively with any combination of certificate programs.

Make sure you award the certificates during staff meetings or events so the honor can be witnessed by the entire company. Stock up on snazzy certificates you can print up as needed, then hand them out monthly, annually or as-earned for achievements such as:

• Employee of the month
• Beyond the call of duty
• Top performer of the year
• Best attitude (no matter what)
• Most indispensable
• Best problem fixer

Hall of Fame

Setting up a Hall of Fame in the reception area, employee break room or other highly visible location can provide ongoing recognition for employees that make it into the ranks. Here you can establish criteria that merits the honor, posting employees’ pictures and a small blurb that explains what they did to be included.

Combine the Hall of Fame with a monthly or quarterly Employee Honor Roll and you can recognize outstanding contributions of all sizes on an even more frequent basis.

Recognition Boxes

Recognition boxes can serve as stellar employee recognition tools, and you can set up as many or as few as you wish. Ideas can include:

• Appreciation drop box: Employees can leave written praise and appreciation for fellow employees.
• Grab-a-kudo box: Employees can randomly select a notecard from the box for a job well done, with pre-written note cards containing motivational quotes, rhyming praises or other fun messages.
• You rock box: Managers can select cards that already contain the phrase “You rock because…” and then fill in the blank with the honor deserved.

While these employee recognition tools can be combined, adapted and customized to your specific office culture, they all serve to achieve the same goal. They let your employees know they’re appreciated for the outstanding work they do.

Happy employees are productive employees, and one way to keep employees happy is with new gadgets, toys, and policies that align with the freshest office trends. Even if the trends seem way too far-fetched for the more traditional businesses, you’re better off giving them a go than listening to employees rave about perks they certainly wished they had.

Standing Desks

Instead of sitting at a desk all day, employees can instead stand at taller desks specifically designed to keep them on their feet. One study found the desks improved health as well as productivity, and think of all the money you’ll save on office chairs.

Balance Ball Chairs

If you still need to invest in chairs for workers who prefer to sit, go for balance ball chairs to improve posture, strengthen the back and add a dose of fun. Even the dullest task can be much more amusing when seated on a big, fat ball.

Groovy Snacks

“Groovy” in this instance translates to yummy and healthy. Forget the energy zapping candy and carbs in the office vending machines. Serve up delightfully healthy fare – free to all for the taking. Snacknation is one company that’s scoring big points in the healthy snack arena, delivering a rotating selection of good-for-you goodies to offices on a monthly basis.

Plenty of Play Time (in the Office)

Employee lounge areas, basketball courts, gyms and putting greens are popping up in companies like across the nation. Even if you don’t have the room or budget for a full-fledged exercise room, you can strategic place smaller equipment throughout the office and cushy couches and chairs in the break room. Encourage frequent breaks so employees can take advantage of it all.

Plenty of Play Time (outside the Office)

Extensive vacation time and flexible hours are two more office trends employees have been going gaga over.

The policy at Netflix’s California headquarters, for example, is not to track work hours or vacation days. The company instead measures how much work employees get done, allowing them to set their own hours and take vacations as long as their output is meeting or exceeding company expectations. You won’t see any slackers over here, either, as abusing the policy gets you kicked out the door.

Tangible Appreciation

If employees going wild with their own hours and vacation schedules simply won’t cut it in your company, you can still provide bonus time off, loads of praise and other tangible appreciation with customized certificates.

Have a slew of blank certificates on hand you can fill out as needed when employees go above and beyond the call of duty. Some can be traded in for time off, some can be used for a free lunch and still others can mark awesome achievements as they hang merrily near your new lineup of standing desks.

Happy employees are not only productive employees, they’re good for morale, company culture and your overall business.

Moving on is simply part of advancing in a career. But when your top talent makes a beeline for the exit without announcing plans to step into a dream job elsewhere, it can leave you wondering what the heck went wrong.

Take the resignation as a sign your company needs to do a little housekeeping. But first, learn as much as you can about why the star employee is leaving.

Schedule An Exit Interview

On the employee’s last day of work, set aside time to chat. Explain to them the benefits they brought to the company and find out where the company failed to meet their needs or expectations. An exit interview can truly be a gold mine of insight that a supervisor simply can’t see on a daily basis. Don’t be surprised to find out about employee turmoil or feelings of being unappreciated.

Here are a few questions to kick start the interview:

• Do you feel like you had opportunities to advance within the company?
• Do you feel like your talents and contributions to the company were recognized and appreciated?
• Do you feel you were fairly compensated for the work that you did?
• Do you feel you had coworkers and supervisors you could collaborate with when needed?
• How can we make the work environment more positive for the staff moving forward?

Evaluate Your Employee Recognition

Once you’ve learned the key reasons the employee is saying adiós, you can target the weak spots in the company. One area that generally falls short is recognizing the staff for their hard work and especially when they go above and beyond without prompting.

It might time to consider naming an employee of the month and employee of the year to keep the staff motivated. Quarterly company picnics that recognize jobs well done on current projects boost team morale. And making an effort to put the spotlight on an employee who goes above and beyond on their own accord is a must-do.

Make the celebrations public and long-lasting. Give employees a shout out on the company social media feeds, host celebration lunches, present them small trophies or award certificates and make announcements at the office. Above all: Let your employees know how much they are valued by the company on a regular basis.

Re-Organize Internal Structure and Priorities

You may have learned some tough-to-swallow information during the employee’s exit interview. Take the insight and turn it into constructive criticism that can be applied to making the workplace even stronger and more inviting for the remaining staff.

Maybe it’s time to re-organize management and delegate tasks differently. Perhaps new departments need to be implemented to lighten some work loads. Or, it’s time to hire a consultant to help with the restructuring. After all, you don’t want any more exit interviews showing up on your calendar.

You don’t have any time to lose. Why not start shopping for employee recognition certificates and trophies right now? Browse Paper Direct’s online store today!

Citing their current poll findings a 2022 article, Zippia reporter Abby McCain shared, the following:

• Strong employee recognition programs reduce turnover rates by 31%
• Employees who are recognized are almost six times more likely to stay at their jobs than those who aren’t
• 37% of employees report that the best way to improve their engagement is for superiors to give recognition
• 92% of employees are likely to repeat a specific action if given recognition for it

One way to recognize your employees is by showcasing their best efforts in the office. Depending on the number of employees and workplace culture, there are several different methods to showcase employees and all of their hard work.

Employee of the Month Plaque

Work with your human resources department to develop an employee of the month program. Hang a plaque in the office that honors those employees who are awarded this recognition to share the accomplishment with the rest of the staff.

Recognition Board

Also called a “brag board,” boast about employees’ accomplishments both in and out of the workplace. Maybe Gary from the administration department ran a marathon recently. Post a picture of him crossing the finishing line. When Sue from sales lands that whale of an account, print up and post a certificate to laud her for her work.

Team Meetings

Spend an hour every other week or once a month to get your team together for updates and announcements. These meetings are an excellent time to showcase employees and their noteworthy efforts. Bring up staff members and give them a round of applause. They’ve earned it!

Post-It Notes

A quick message to congratulate, thank or cheer on an employee is a small effort that makes a big impact. Get some clever Post-It Notes to leave your messages on for staff members. They’ll be happily surprised to find a sticky note on their desk with an uplifting message of encouragement and praise.

Congratulatory Email

The marketing team recently executed a very successful campaign that generated numerous leads. Write a congratulatory email that you send to the entire office. Share a few details about it and call out individuals for their work.

Social Media Mentions

From your company’s Facebook page to its blog, use your social platform to showcase employees. Simple videos and quick pictures are great content that not only performs well on social channels but also serves to show off all the exciting efforts of your employees. Soon enough, your staff will start sharing these posts to their own networks, further showcasing employees.

Studies show that recognition goes a long way to motivate your business’s employees and keep them engaged. No matter how you showcase employee recognition, it also reflects well on your business, since it reduces turnover and boost morale.