Letter 51: How to Show Employees REAL Appreciation (HINT: It's Not Pizza Parties and Meaningless Certificates)
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Reading: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s been on my list for ages and I want to make sure I finish it before the end of the year.
Listening to: The Lemonheads, since they’re coming to town in a few weeks! Ahh, nostalgia.
Last Watched: A PHENOMENAL Irish folklore horror film called You Are Not My Mother. It was fantastic. The more I write my book the more I crave every single thing I can find on folklore, on horror, and everything the land gives us.
It’s September which means autumn is on the brain of many of us in the Northern Hemisphere.
But anyone who lives here in the fine state of Minnesota knows that “autumn” doesn’t work like that. We had a cool week or so, but those days are just a memory now. We are firmly planted in Second Summer.
I also recognize how lucky I was to have missed Hell’s Front Porch this year, as I was frolicking through the fields of Ireland in the wind and rain and didn’t mind it one bit.
That being said, I live for warm evenings where I don’t even need a jacket, which I’ve enjoyed alllll week.
This week I met two friends for dinner in St. Paul. One of said friends, we’ll call her Callie, had come from an annual work event that was meant to “honor employees and their years of dedicated service.”
I asked her how well it went, she and her partner looked at each other with wide eyes.
“It was…terrible.”
Callie just celebrated FIFTEEN YEARS with her company this year.
And do you know how they thanked her for 15 years?
A bag of pretzels, some candy and a certificate.
ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?
“What stung even more than that is seeing executives in their expensive suits clapping at all of us. We know they make multitudes more than we do, and yet this is the thanks we get?” Callie genuinely looked saddened.
“I felt like they were mocking us. “
“The whole of leadership just seems tone deaf,” Callie’s partner said, who witnessed the horror show herself. “And I kept thinking, Tara could have written a letter about this!”
Well here I am, friend!
I don’t think any of us are strangers to the massive discrepancies between “boots on the ground” employees and those who are so far removed from what’s happening with users/customers/patients.
And no, it’s not okay.
This isn’t to say there isn’t pressure at the executive/C-suite level. Of course there is. There’s SO MUCH pressure. Often times it’s unmanageable and almost always it’s going to impact their mental of physical health in some way if not dealt with. I work with these humans and I watch their souls being squished all the time, and it’s NOT for the faint of heart.
But that’s not really the point.
The point is employees deserve REAL APPRECIATION. Especially those who have put in a fair amount of time with your organization.
And here’s what that can look like.
This is the most obvious one, but yes, MONEY! Give your people money! Even if it’s not gargantuan amounts, people will appreciate this more than anything. Your employees work hard. Life is also hard. I have often been a part of conversations with leaders and executives who say “this really isn’t possible” when those words are not based on reality whatsoever, just their perception. If you’re in these conversations, I invite you to be brave and ask who to talk to about budgets. I have seen this be successful and the impact was HUGE with employees.
If you can’t afford to give more money, more time off. Everyone is always striving for the ever elusive “work life balance” which I’m not sure really exists (that’s an ENTIRELY separate letter for y’all in the future) and more time to spend connecting outside the office is always good for morale.
A personalized gift can be really lovely. And NO, that’s not candy and pretzels. If your employee has an anniversary coming up and you know they go wild for indoor bouldering gyms, find out which one and give them a gift card! Are they obsessed with their cats? How about a donation to a shelter in their name and a gift for their animal?
Probably most importantly, giving a sincere and personal THANK YOU. At my friend Callie’s work event she said they just lined people up like cattle and clapped at them. A little effort goes a long way. Even better, a written card will show them you actually took the time to appreciate how important they are in terms of your working relationship with them and all the kick ass work they’ve done.
How do y’all show appreciation with those you work with? What would you like to see change where you are?
Wishing you all a fantastic week ahead,