5 Ways to Reward Your Team this Easter
It’s never been more important to support and reward your employees. Whilst employee benefits and perks have become a must-have for all booming businesses over the last decade, the pandemic has placed more urgency on the requirement to have an effective and robust employee wellbeing and recognition programme in place.
With employee wellbeing at an all-time low, ensuring that your teams who may be working remotely feel engaged, appreciated and rewarded has frequently ranked at the top of the executive agenda.
While it has been proven that companies with a recognition scheme report higher morale, lower turnover and an up to 50% increased productivity rate, RewardGateway reported that only 22% of managers strongly agree that their company provides them with the tools and understanding on how to recognise colleagues effectively.
But when your teams are working remotely, scattered across the country or even the globe, rewarding and recognising your people creatively can be difficult. We’ve rounded up 5 great ways to reward your teams for their work this Easter.
1. Send Goodies to their WFH Office!
Perhaps the most obvious way to engage your teams at Easter is to buy them a gift. From a chocolate egg to a bunch of spring flowers, there are plenty of sweet treats and Easter gift ideas on the market that will show your colleagues that you care. If you manage a small team, it’s a great idea to try and personalise these gifts or take their individual preferences into account to make it that little bit more special. Let’s face it, if there’s any year to go the extra mile for your teams it’s this one!
Accompanying this with a personalised card or note from you acknowledging how hard they’ve worked even under difficult circumstances is a quick, simple but very personal touch that goes a long way. Never underestimate the impact that a sincere “Thank you” can have on anyone you work with.
2. Give an Extra Day’s Holiday
Adding an extra day’s holiday to your team’s allowance is a low-cost, high reward option. If you are able to do this, the gesture is commonly ranked among the best recognition and reward gifts that companies can offer.
Richard Branson, CEO of Virgin Group made headlines when he announced his unlimited holiday policy for employees. With one of the best-retained workforces in the world, it’s clear to see that Virgin Group wanted to promote trust and accountability in their employees.
Whilst the overwhelming majority of companies have no hope of following suit due to the requirement to provide cover for teams at all times, an early finish or day’s holiday is a great way to tell your employees that you know they’re working harder than usual and offer a helping hand for them to further try and restore their work life balance.
3. Remote Team Building Events
Team building events and ‘away days’ are great for boosting employee loyalty and wellbeing, and with all the fantastic technology at our fingertips, you don’t need to miss out on that experience with your colleagues when you are working remotely.
There are a number of companies that specialise in virtual and remote team building events, with everything from managed by a private company online murder-mysteries to D-I-Y virtual chocolate making sessions and live online casino experiences. One thing is for sure; the virtual world has met the challenges and opportunities raised by the pandemic and now provides a huge amount of choice for virtual team building.
Team quizzes, catch ups and games nights are something many companies have dabbled in to improve employee wellbeing throughout the pandemic, so doing something fun, unique and special as a reward is a good idea – do something different!
4. Workspace Upgrades
Following the first three ideas, upgrading your colleague’s workspace sounds like a much less exciting option. But offering your team a new standing desk, ergonomic office chair or some very up to date technology is the gift that keeps on giving.
Missing their own dedicated office space, furniture and equipment has been a common complaint of newly-remote workers, so offering to help with this in any way can really boost their productivity and is a great investment in them and your company. Even if you can’t afford a fancy treadmill desk, a standing desk or back support can make the difference to their health and wellbeing.
If this is out of your price range, offering other health, fitness and wellbeing perks such as access to online gym or yoga classes, or an audio-book subscription, are also a good option.
Frequent rewarding, events and perks create happy people, and holidays and occasions are a great opportunity to show your appreciation to your colleagues, but you should have a comprehensive, effective yet simple reward and recognition scheme in place all year round.
You can do this by selecting an employee of the month or celebrating special achievements in your internal communications on a weekly or monthly basis. Whilst having prizes and tangible rewards is a great bonus, the act of validating an employee’s hard work with acknowledgment and public recognition for a great project, attitude, or their dedication does not cost a thing, and is just as effective.
Looking to invest in your people? The HR Consultants offer support on an ongoing, ad-hoc or project basis to help you create a place that your people love to work. Contact us for a no-strings attached chat about what we could do for you.