It’s easy to take your staff for granted. They’re there, doing their work, and you’re in your own world, doing your work. Everything is working as it should work. However, it’s important that this attitude isn’t allowed to develop too long — a team that believes it is taken for granted isn’t going to work as efficiently as a team that feels valued. As such, you need to work hard to ensure your staff knows they are appreciated. But how? We take a look at a few tried and tested ways below.

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More Than a Machine

Everything begins with your attitude. So much of our communication is nonverbal — people can get a sense of how another person views them just by looking at their attitude! If you do, deep down, see your staff as simply machines that are there to do what you tell them to do, then that’s going to come across. If you ever begin seeing a staff member as a robot, remind yourself that they’re a real, living person who has an internal life that’s just as complex and rich as your own. It’ll be the little kick you need to treat them well. Another way to show your staff that you value their mind, rather than just what they can do for you, is to ask their opinion about company matters.

Update their Salary

There are plenty of things you can do to make an employee feel appreciated, but perhaps the most effective way is to put your money where your mouth is, and update their salary. Workers have had it pretty tough in recent years — they’ve seen productivity and company profits rise, but their wages have stayed the same. Make sure that’s not the case at your company by regularly reviewing an employee’s salary. At the very least, they should receive a raise that’s in line with the increase in the cost of living. There’s little use telling them how much you value them if you’re not willing it to back up by sharing some of the profits that they helped acquire.

Give Rewards and Recognition

Everyone wants to feel acknowledged when they do something good. As such, you may want to consider implementing a rewards system into your business, which will allow you to reward an employee when they do a good job — such as having a day off, a bonus, or use of company amenities. Every so often, look at hosting an employee appreciation night. You can give out acrylic awards to your best performing staff, treat everyone to a meal and a few drinks, and all-around show the team how much you appreciate their efforts. They’ll be grateful for it!

Celebrating Milestones

Finally, remember to celebrate your employee’s milestones, such as the anniversary of their joining the company, and their birthday. Everyone likes it when other people make an effort to create a fuss about them! Plus, it’s a good way to inject a little bit of fun into the working day, too. Throw a party full of balloon arches and similar decorations to help with this.