Because there are so many great articles on employee engagement and creating a culture of appreciation in the workplace, I want to share the best of these resources with you. Here are my favorites from this week. You’ll find some of my thoughts on these gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) and I would like to hear your comments too.
CEO’s Need to Pay Attention to Employer Branding by Richard Mosley
(hbr.org) “Likewise, the strength of the employer brand can have a significant effect on the quality, pride, and engagement levels of those employees involved in delivering a positive customer brand experience. And with other studies linking happy employees to happy customers, it’s not surprising that most companies want to align their employer and consumer brand strategies over the next few years.”
My Thoughts: When employees are proud to work for their organization, they are more productive, passionate, and profitable. This article shares why paying attention to your company brand is vital.
Are You Asking the Right Questions to Gauge Employee Happiness? by Cheryl Kerrigan
(Women 2.0) “Engagement surveys are typically annual institutions that only allow you to see what’s behind you. They don’t keep up with current employee trends or identify red flags so that you can do something about them in real time. Employee tendencies are difficult to track on an annual basis, not allowing managers to stay in proper tune with their teams.”
My Thoughts: If you’re going to invest the time, effort and money into an employee survey, pay attention to this article. If you don’t have the resources to do it right – consider hiring an expert.
Employee Recognition: Cost-Free To Provide, Costly To Neglect by Victor Lipman
(Forbes) “But the most ironic – and unfortunate – aspect of this widespread productivity-diminishing Recognition Gap is that it’s so avoidable. Sure, companies can set up elaborate, costly formal recognition programs. And they’re OK. They can be useful. But if I learned anything in decades in business it’s that the kind of recognition employees really appreciate in the trenches…in the day-to-day grind of work…is much simpler. It’s a pat on the back from their manager. It’s being told they’re doing a good job. It’s a heartfelt thank you for a tough project well done. Sincere appreciation sincerely expressed.”
My thoughts: As Mother Teresa said, “We are more starved for appreciation than we are for bread.” Catch your employees doing things right and let them know you appreciate their efforts. Like Victor says in the article, it costs nothing to provide and it is expensive to neglect. If you haven’t focused on saying, “Thank you,” your employees’ positive response may surprise you. Try it today.
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Lisa Ryan, creator of Grategy® is a gratitude expert, professional speaker and bestselling author. For more information contact (216) 225-8027. For information on Grategy® programs please visit http://www.grategy.com. Follow on Twitter: @Grategy