How to appreciate employees at the end of the year

How to appreciate employees at the end of the year

How many times during your school years did you fight to excel because you wanted to recreate those moments where you were awarded in front of everyone for being the best in something ? “Best in Mathematics , Best in Kiswahili , Best In C.R.E “ - each and everyone of us longed for these blissful moments of acknowledgement  and appreciation. 

Appreciating your employees at the end of the year leads to; 

• An elevated feeling of ownership among employees, i.e., they feel more responsible when it comes to the company’s productivity and overall success. 
• Increase in retention of employees.
• Increase in engagement i.e.., the employees become more involved, motivated and productive in their various departments and company activities. 
• Better work performance. 

The thing is, everyone likes to see their efforts recognized. That is why we have an award system in various industries like sports, entertainment, and even the corporate realm. Do you think athletes would train as hard if there were no golden medals/cups to be won at the end of a game?

Now, the question is, how do you, as a HR professional, ensure that employees feel that their efforts within the company are appreciated as 2022 comes to a close? 

Here are 5 ways that this can be made possible!

Organize an end-year party

Work parties can act as the perfect avenue for employees to interact with one another. Apart from breaking the usual work monotony, work parties can act as a way of building cohesion among different employees. Also, staff members can get to know people from other departments and create rapport with workers they have never engaged with. This way, when it comes to completing a project, an employee has a good idea of who to approach when they need a resource or general assistance. 

Parties can additionally show that employers are aware of the work their employees have been doing all year and that they appreciate the time and the energy they invested in their projects/tasks. 

Plan a charitable function

As a company, you can decide whether to visit a children’s home, sick people at the hospital, or enter a marathon whose proceeds go to charity. This particular end-of-year activity can build teamwork among employees and the brand’s image as well. 

Doing an activity together as a company at the end of the year breaks that barrier between bosses and staff, allowing workers to see the humane side of their managers. This, in turn, boosts morale and levels of loyalty among employees. 
 

Also, to make a hardworking employee feel appreciated, you can give them the responsibility of picking a charitable function of their choice.

Bonus and gifts

Christmas bonuses tend to boost morale and productivity among employees. You can sit down with the managers and discuss which criteria to use in order to award deserving employees with end-year bonuses.
 

Alternatively, you can reward employees’ hard work by giving them gifts. Gifts have a personal touch to them that shows a more intimate level of appreciation. For instance, say an employee has been raving about a place they would love to visit on holiday and you happen to get the fully paid holiday tickets for them, this gesture will show the employee that you care about them. 

End-year promotions

To show how much you value your employees and their input in the company, you can suggest that the managers announce promotions at the end of the year. This way, an employee will be walking into a new year with a new role!

Secret Santa

How well do employees in your company know one another?
 

Secret Santa can be a fun and unique way for employees within your company to be appreciated. You can decide to have the employees buy gifts for one another on a budget such that feelings are not hurt in the process. You can also involve the managers in the activity to break that barrier between the employer and employees. 

Such an activity can really build cohesion among employees and leave everyone feeling motivated to be productive and stay in the company as they enter the new year. 

2022 has been a tough year economically. A majority of companies have felt the ripple effects of the Russian-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath. It is vital to acknowledge and appreciate the employees who have invested their time and energy into building your company. 

As ElevateHR, we believe that people are the most important cogs of any company. Making sure that employees remain highly motivated can scale your company to global heights. So as the year closes, make sure you do something special for all those hard working members of your team. 
 

Visit our page to know how you can enter 2023 with tools that can serve all your HR needs!