Why should you celebrate your employees not their birthdays

Sandeep Kashyap
5 min readJan 19, 2018

A new Modern Survey study found that only 58 percent of US employees intend to work in their current companies. Even more disappointing is only a little more than half of the employees said they feel inspired by their work-culture. Even less than that said they doubt working in their current organization in the future.

If we read between the lines, it’s not just the disappointing statistics but employees dire need to be valued and appreciated for their contribution to work. Employees — who are considered to be the greatest asset of an organization are usually overlooked the most.

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Bosses and organizations should go an extra mile to create an environment where employees feel respected and invested. However, employee loyalty can be cultivated over time through a strong culture of appreciation and instilling a sense of belonging.

Let us take a look at different ways to make your employees think that you care for them.

When words speak louder than actions

Employees love it when you appreciate their work — VERBALLY. Even better if it is done in the presence of everyone.

A ‘Well done’ email might reach their inboxes but not their hearts. Interestingly, 69 percent of employees said they would work harder if they were more appreciated.

Who knew showing a little appreciation would be the key to boosting employees morale and productivity. Just imagine, if you are showered with some encouraging words for a job well done, wouldn’t you give your heart and soul for your future work.

Select a daily hero award recipient

At ProofHub, we made a ritual to celebrate “Hero of the day” where we try to celebrate small wins or accomplishments by employees. For instance, Ryan helped a new employee troubleshoot a program so that he had more time to finish the project. Or when Rachel offered to share her colleague’s workload by staying over for 30 minutes extra at the office.

In this daily award program, employees nominate other employees who do something helpful for others. At the end of each day, we pick a winner — either randomly or by merit and give them a small reward.

Every day employees are busy chasing deadlines, such small celebrations can bring smiles on their faces when they go back home. So, if you see employees morale doing down, try a daily award program.

Begin Monday morning with fun activities

Work can get monotonous. Monotony can lead to boredom. Employees are drawn towards excitement, not monotony. One of the best ways to show employees that you care for them is to give them a happy and positive workplace.

Add some fun to your workplace by introducing some fun activities. You can start with Scavenger Hunt, Organizational Jenga or Two truths and a lie. Such activities act as perfect ice-breaking sessions and can form new friendships at the workplace. According to Harvard Business Review study, close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%.

These fun activities will lift the spirits of employees and increase their energy levels throughout the week. Just one tip: Make sure these games don’t take more than 30 minutes.

Appraisals and promotions

The best way to celebrate employees and their efforts is to give them the promotions and appraisals they deserve. Recognizing their efforts and accomplishments show employees that you pay attention to what they are doing at work and value their contribution.

Monetary rewards and appraisals are constant motivators to employees. One of the major reasons for employee dissatisfaction is not getting due for their work. And that can be discouraging for employees who are working with utmost dedication and sincerity.

Instead of celebrating their birthdays or work anniversaries, start celebrating their contribution to work. That’s how you will make a way to employees hearts. As no employee would like to work for an organization that doesn’t acknowledge his efforts.

These days many companies are making serious efforts to engage and retain employees. They understand happy employees make great organizations. Instead of spending money on so-called-employee-engaging events, you should seriously celebrate their contribution. This investment will not only make them happy but will bear fruits in the future in the form of increased workplace happiness and productivity levels.

Include their wins in emails, newsletters, bulletin boards every week.

Celebrating little victories and milestones doesn’t require grandiose event every time. Look at the small victories your employees achieve every day and find unique ways to let them know that you care for them.

“Simplify the way you manage your projects and teams. Switch to ProofHub.”

Originally published at LinkedIn.com.

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Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. A passionate leader, Sandeep is always on the lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams and companies. He is also a featured writer on LinkedIn and a contributing author at YourStory. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Also follow our company page @ProofHub to get the recent updates about our tool, published articles, motivational quotes & presentations.

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Sandeep Kashyap

Internet Entrepreneur, CEO of SDP Labs and Founder of ProofHub