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Give your time. Many team members want access to the executives.
“Pizza with the President” or similar initiatives gives top performers the
visibility they crave.
Casual Fridays. Employees relish the opportunity to dress casual at work.
Establish deliverables for your team and if met, allow them to dress
casually once a week or once a month.
Say thank you! While public recognition is nice, sending a handwritten note will make
an impact on team members.
Acknowledge progress. Waiting until the mission is accomplished to acknowledge
participants may demotivate employees that are working hard over an extended
period of time. Establish and recognize milestones instead.
Be flexible. Many people respond favorably to increased freedom. Allow team
members to work from home on occasion or to take an afternoon off when a major
milestone is accomplished.
Public recognition. Nothing says “thank you” more than being named employee of the
month! Having an employee’s picture displayed, their name on a plaque, or reserving a
parking space for them costs little but means a lot.
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Feed them. Whether it is treating your team mates to a long lunch or bringing
in a meal to share, the hospitality shown will be appreciated. Stocking the
office refrigerator with snacks that your team members love, not only shows
that you appreciate their work, but also that you care about them enough to
know what they like.
Upgrade their space. Everybody likes to get something new. Maybe a team
member needs a new desk, a better chair, an office clock or a desk lamp.
Show your appreciation by helping them get items that will make them more
effective or make their time at work more pleasant.
Pay for a night out. Purchase your hard working team members a pair of
tickets to the movies or a concert.
Team titles. Even if you don’t have the authority to change their job title, you
can have creative titles for team members. Titles like “statistics guru” or
“planning master” are lighthearted but also indicate an appreciation for their
role and contribution.
Section 9 – Working in Teams