Besides the formal ways to award and reward employees and recognize their hard work, there are endless informal ways or gestures that can say and express that you are proud of the way an employee has performed and encourage the efforts. But since these methods are merely gestures, you and your managers must make sure that they in no way are out of the bounds of the workplace culture and policies. They must be polite, subtle, suitable to the interest of the various employees and not bothersome or out of line in any way the following are some of the informal ways to recognize the well-performed job/tasks of your employees:
A well-meant and simple thank you to your employee on a job or task that has been performed well is enough to say that you are appreciative of the efforts. Say thank you often and mean it each time you say it.
Sending a personal note or an email can also prove to be a great gesture and may infuse a lot of confidence and gratitude in the employees.
If your employee receives positive comments from clients or seniors, do make sure that you let him know about it to boost his morale and motivate him to perform well in the future also.
Create a monthly or weekly employee honor roll in the office and paste pictures or names of employees who have worked particularly well during that time period.
Praise the employee who has performed well in front of the team to encourage not just him but also others to perform well.
Take your team out for lunch or dinner after they have accomplished a particular deal or finished a project successfully.
Allow employees who work hard and perform well to attend special meetings or give them special tasks as a gesture for their excellent contribution.
Set up a point system for loyalty, punctuality, team work, attendance and other such factors and start rating employees on a per month basis. The employee who scores the maximum can be sent a small treat, coupon or a goodie bag to encourage everyone at the workplace to aim for the highest score.
Give examples of the achievements of the few hardworking employees to others in front of them to indirectly praise them and boost their morale and reputation in the office.
Allow the employee to take long lunch breaks once in a while or sanction a leave as a recognition of good work on other occasions.
Create titles like ‘most hardworking employee of the month’, ‘most punctual employee of the month’ and ‘the most reliable employee of the month’ etc. and distribute these titles with a small pack of chocolate etc. at the end of each month to boost performance and encourage individual skills and qualities.
Always thank or appreciate employees for their ideas and suggestions that can help the organization even in the smallest of ways. This boosts a feeling of giving opinions among employees and reduces the hesitation that one might feel at the workplace as far as speaking up in front of other workers is concerned.
Always appreciate those who stay back long hours to complete their work, irrespective of whether that was required or not. This avoids unnecessary frustrations and resentment for you or the workplace in general among employees.
Always greet employees at the starting of the day or whenever you encounter them in the workplace. An employer who is cold or doesn’t respond well to the employees’ greetings may be seen as unappreciative, and this can have a negative impact on workers.
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