When you’re looking for a good employee, you need to treat them with respect. This means avoiding bias or prejudice. It also means rewarding individual accomplishments and showing appreciation.
Respect
Treating good employees with respect is the key to creating a happy and productive workplace. Several studies have shown that disrespect can have a huge negative impact on productivity. However, there are ways to foster a respectful work environment without requiring any changes to your company.
Respect starts by recognizing others’ contributions. Praise employees for their skills and achievements. This will show them that their ideas are valued and help them feel more appreciated.
Respect also includes politeness. You don’t have to overdo it, but you don’t want to seem snobby. Also, be sure to listen and take the time to understand the thoughts and opinions of others.
When employees feel respected, they are much more likely to collaborate with their colleagues. They’ll also be more cooperative and more grateful for their employers. That’s not to mention the fact that they’re more productive.
A study published by the Society for Human Resource Management found that the most important factor in determining job satisfaction is respectful treatment of all employees. If your team members aren’t treated well, they won’t be motivated to work as hard as they could.
Providing a positive feedback loop can also contribute to more collaboration and productivity. If a colleague makes a mistake, let them know that it’s okay. Doing so publicly can go a long way.
Including other workers in meetings is another great way to foster respect. By allowing them to voice their opinion, you’ll ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.
Show appreciation
You can’t underestimate the value of showing appreciation to good employees. It has been shown to enhance productivity and reduce turnover. In addition to providing financial incentives, there are many other things you can do to show your staff that you care.
Creating a culture of gratitude is not difficult. However, it requires a little forethought. First, you’ll want to know what exactly appreciation is. This will help you to create a reward system that genuinely appreciates the contributions of your team members.
For example, you can award employees with an end-of-year bonus. Another option is to give them extra paid days off. Providing some extra time off can be a great way to boost morale, and to allow your employees to take some time for personal pursuits.
The best way to show appreciation to your team is to listen to them. If you hear them complaining about a particular project, or they have questions, you should take action. Taking them to lunch, for instance, can be a great way to get them talking about their work and their goals.
To show appreciation to your staff, you can use words of appreciation, or a handwritten formal recognition note. A thank you letter or certificate is also a nice gesture, especially if it is sent to their home.
A few small tokens throughout the year can be effective as well. Greeting cards and homemade treats are a good idea, too.
Encourage
One of the best ways to keep a team motivated is to give them the praise they deserve. You can also reward employees for their contributions with a pat on the back or even a small cash bonus. It can also be fun to create a friendly competition between teams. This isn’t necessarily cutthroat but it does get employees involved.
If you want to encourage good employees, you’re probably going to have to make some changes. But it doesn’t have to be a total overhaul. A few easy suggestions might just turn your employees into a winning team.
There are several nifty things you can do to inspire and motivate your team to perform better. These tips will pay off in the long run.
Creating a company intranet is an ideal place to showcase rewards and accolades. You can even create a point system for employees to earn prizes and perks.
For the most part, the most important factor is to provide support and motivation. When you can’t motivate your employees, they will look to their peers for direction. And it’s not just your employees, you can also use social media and networking to your advantage. Be open and honest with your employees, and they will be more likely to help each other succeed.
In addition to these steps, you may have to retrain a few employees. That is fine; as long as they are committed to the company’s goals.
Pyrrhic victories
Pyrrhic victories aren’t a rare occurrence in the history of mankind. In fact, they’re often the hallmark of the most successful empires. One such example is that of Pyrrhus of Epirus, who defeated the Romans in 279 BCE. He had won the prestigious honor by the virtue of his victory, but he also lost many of his principal commanders and a significant part of his forces.
A pyrrhic victory is something worth mentioning, but not necessarily worth fighting for. For example, the most impressive of the various telegraph lines in Britain is actually quite small. Similarly, one of the largest achievements of the Roman Empire was the construction of the Roman wall, which was actually a stonewall. But a pyrrhic victory would be a feat that a modern-day Roman would find difficult to achieve.
Another Pyrrhic Victory worthy of mention is the One Eight Seven, a trippy video game based on the famous British board game. The game is based on the same concept, but with one major difference. Whereas the aforementioned game requires players to use a telegraph to communicate with each other, One Eight Seven does the same thing with a bat and a baseball bat.
A lesser-known Pyrrhic Victory is the one that involves the largest amount of effort and cost to accomplish. It’s a little like going to the dentist and having a rotten tooth removed, but without the abrasion.
Reward individual accomplishments
If you’re an employer, you need to recognize your staff’s accomplishments. This not only improves productivity, but it also increases morale and retention. You can do this in several ways.
The most obvious is the reward you give to an employee for a job well done. Another way to do this is by recognizing milestones in the employees’ careers. Incentives like bonuses can also help, though the reward should be a meaningful one.
Choosing the right reward for your aces can be a daunting task. It can be as simple as making a personalized gift or as complex as building a customized trophy to commemorate an employee’s achievement. Rewarding a team member for the company’s most recent sales achievement is an excellent start.
Taking an employee to dinner is another way to show your appreciation. A small team is an ideal place to establish inclusion and build a stronger brand as a whole. Similarly, throwing a party is a nice way to boost morale and remind your workers that they are appreciated.
Aside from the obvious, the best way to appreciate your employees is to let them pursue their passions outside of work. Whether it’s playing a sport, cooking, or dancing, giving them the opportunity to pursue their hobbies can help them stay focused on their jobs. Alternatively, give your employees the opportunity to participate in charitable endeavors.
While the oh-so-expensive rewards of a cash bonus or company-paid lunch are impressive, the true measure of employee engagement comes from recognizing and rewarding individual achievements.
Avoid prejudice, bias, or favoritism
Prejudice, bias, and favoritism in the workplace can cause a lot of damage. It affects morale, productivity, and even the culture of an organization.
Favoritism in the workplace can be a problem when people are hired and promoted based on extraneous characteristics. Favoritism can also take place when coworkers form relationships based on shared interests or histories. Despite the potential for harm, it’s important to be able to recognize and report it.
Fortunately, there are several ways to recognize and avoid bias and prejudice in the workplace. These include education, advocacy, and self-awareness.
Education is the first step to recognizing and combating bias. In fact, 84% of workers believe that bias and prejudice negatively affect their performance at work.
Self-awareness is the next step. If you feel that you or someone in your group holds a bias, be sure to challenge it by asking yourself a series of questions.
You can also take a test to identify hidden attitudes. A social psychologist named Anthony Greenwald developed a test 25 years ago that exposed deep-seated biases.
Once you’ve learned how to recognize and overcome a bias, you can then take the necessary steps to help others who are experiencing the same type of bias.
One way to reduce bias is to use blind hiring. Rather than revealing a candidate’s personal information, anonymize their resumes and applications. This ensures that your hiring team doesn’t make decisions based on bias.
