How to Improve Employee Appreciation and Recognition in Remote Teams
Publié le 4 March 2022
Organizations and company leaders need to consider how to improve employee appreciation and recognition in remote teams, as these working arrangements become more common.
The first Friday of March is National Employee Appreciation Day. And this is the right time to think about the concept of appreciation and help leaders generate ideas of how to celebrate and improve their employee appreciation efforts.
As a leader, you carry the responsibility of keeping your teams motivated. This can be easier said than done, however, especially if you are a remote leader.
Remote work and hybrid working arrangements have become extremely popular over the past two years, with a majority of professionals wanting hybrid work to become the norm. With the absence of in-person interactions, it can be difficult to build a solid team culture and bond. It’s also challenging to give employees the recognition they deserve and show your appreciation for their continued hard work when you only see each other at Zoom meetings.
Still, recognizing your team’s efforts and appreciating them for the value they bring to the organization are quite important. Employee appreciation and recognition can boost your team’s morale, confidence, and job satisfaction. And these are particularly necessary for a remote work setup, where employees work on their own and may easily feel burnt out.
Now, if you are asking how to improve employee appreciation and recognition in remote teams, there are different ways this can be accomplished. Here are a few employee recognition ideas for you:
How to Improve Employee Appreciation and Recognition in Remote Teams
- Sponsor Their Work-From-Home Equipment
- Give Public Shout-Outs To Recognize An Employee’s Efforts
- Send A Personal Recognition Message
- Send Them A Self-Care Package
- Encourage Social Engagement Virtually
- Give Bonuses And Incentives
- Sponsor An e-Learning Course
- Send A Surprise Meal Delivery
1. Subsidize Their Work-From-Home Equipment
The quality of your work and your productivity are highly dependent on the tools that you use. Not every employee may have the equipment they need to work efficiently at home, so subsidizing these purchases and add-ons are quite helpful. It will also show your commitment to them as an employer.
Workers typically complain about back pain for working on the dining table, sitting in an uncomfortable chair and other common disadvantages of remote work. Help your employees set up a healthy and safe work environment at home by paying for ergonomic tools, including a proper chair and a table, aside from just their laptop or computer.
Also, your workers can share employee appreciation ideas on their own. You can ask them what they need or make a list of work-from-home tools that you’re willing to subsidize. When you care about their working conditions regardless of where they are located, you can make your teams happy and productive.
2. Give Public Shout-Outs To Recognize An Employee’s Efforts
Giving a public shout-out to your employee who made notable efforts is one of the effective ways to show appreciation to employees. It is a direct sign that you care about their contributions. It boosts their morale and motivates them to continue doing excellent work even while working in separate spaces.
“Because you’re in a remote setup, other team members may not be aware of what their colleagues are doing,” said Roy Morejon, President & Co-Founder of Enventys Partners. “So, when you give a public recognition, it validates their performance and confirms the value of their work.”
Public shout-outs can also influence positive behavior for the rest of the team as it demonstrates that this is a workplace that recognizes hard work and dedication. It is also a good idea to practice this on National Employee Appreciation Day.
3. Send A Personal Recognition Message
Show your appreciation to your employees by sending a private message. Everyone loves to receive a personal message from their management and leaders once in a while.
Since you’re someone they look up to, your personal message of appreciation affirms their value in the team because you care enough to get in touch with them individually.
They know that as the leader of the company, you have a lot of responsibilities and your schedule is almost always full. Giving them a personal message is like going out of your way and that can make them feel supported.
It might be a good idea to start a tradition — encourage your team members to send each other motivational messages each National Employee Appreciation Day. And why not start this today?
4. Send Them A Self-Care Package
Another employee recognition idea is sending them a self-care package. Even when you don’t work together in the same office, it is a great way to demonstrate that you still care about employee well-being.
“Health and wellness topics are particularly close to my heart, especially given the nature of our business. So, I want to show my team that just like how we care for our customers, the company values their wellbeing too,” shared Brett Larkin, Founder & CEO of Uplifted Yoga, which helps beginner or experienced yoga teachers get certified.
Self-care packages are great ways to show appreciation to employees and they can include healthy snacks, some essential medicines and vitamins, coffee, tea, aromatic candles, and a thank-you note. In addition to the health essentials, many companies also include employee gift cards as incentives in their self-care packages. It goes to show that you care about an employee’s ability to look after themselves, and take the steps they need to support their well-being.
5. Encourage Social Engagement Virtually
Developing connections among employees is crucial when you’re building a remote team. As a leader, engaging with them virtually, beyond work-related matters, can demonstrate your appreciation for your employees.
It shows that they matter enough for you to invest some of your time to get to know them and build a genuine connection. Encouraging social engagement can also encourage peer-to-peer recognition and promote the workplace culture of supporting and encouraging each other.
This can be done through virtual hangouts, happy hours, celebrations and other types of gatherings. It is a great way to mark big achievements, and strengthen the bonds between colleagues working in different spaces.
6. Give Bonuses And Incentives
Looking for more employee appreciation ideas? What better way to recognize your employee’s hard work than giving tangible rewards? Give them bonuses and incentives for a job well done. It can be a spot-bonus, an individual performance-based bonus, or a team performance incentive.
“Sometimes a thank you card or a double thumbs-up emoji on Slack isn’t enough,” said David Aylor, Founder & CEO of David Aylor Law Offices. “Everyone in our team contributes to the bottom line one way or another. So, it’s important for us to provide something tangible that our team members can enjoy spending for themselves.”
7. Sponsor An e-Learning Course
Learning and development programs are important for employees’ growth and are also great employee appreciation ideas. Invest in online courses that your employees can take to show that you recognize the importance of their professional development and seek to create a learning culture in the virtual workplace.
“The lack of in-person interactions with their supervisors can sometimes make remote employees feel a little lost about their career paths,” said Samuel Devyver, CEO of EasyLlama, which provides workplace training courses. “Sponsor e-learning courses on leadership or management skills to show that you appreciate their contribution to the company, so you’re willing to invest in their growth.”
8. Send A Surprise Meal Delivery
Surprise your team with meal delivery to each member at the same time and have a virtual team lunch or dinner. It’s a small gesture of your appreciation for them for doing their best work despite the distance and for simply being part of your team.
Eating together helps foster better employee engagement and connection. Research has also shown that it improves team performance, so it can also benefit your remote teams. Sending meals from the same place can help create a more communal feeling.
It is important to take any individual dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences for diet-friendly options into account. The last thing you want to do is accidentally make someone feel excluded from the team meal. Offering a variety of choices, including vegan, gluten-free, or low-calorie meals, ensures everyone can partake. Another option is to select a location restaurant that does delivery, and allow each employee to order what they want from the menu, catering to their dietary needs just like they’re in person. This may not allow for the element of surprise, but it will still make for a strong bonding experience.
Conclusion
Building a remote team is challenging and it can feel like you have to make extra efforts to keep your employees motivated. That’s why it’s crucial to think about how to improve employee appreciation and recognition in remote teams.
As a leader, you need to be intentional about showing that you value your team’s contributions and hard work. From simple gestures to tangible rewards, there are various ways you recognize your team’s efforts. Don’t hesitate to get a little more creative and don’t let the remote setup hinder you. And, of course, have fun this National Employee Appreciation Day!
