4 Tips for Appreciating Your Employees

As a business owner, it's important to continuously show your employees how much you appreciate their hard work. If your team members know they are valued, they will be more productive and happy in their positions. Here are four tips for showing you appreciate your employees:

1. Tell Employees When Others Compliment Them
According to Forbes, it's important to show your staff members that they're not just appreciated by you, but by other people too. For example, if a client called you to tell you about what a great job an employee did on a recent project, be sure to share that with the staff member. If you think you will have trouble remembering, write down the information in personalized notepads. When the team member hears how happy the client was with the project, he or she will feel like an important asset to the company.

2. Give Them Time Off
Time is a valuable thing, especially to employees who put in long hours every week. Roberta Chinsky Matuson, president of Matuson Consulting and author of "Suddenly in Charge: Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around," said in Fast Company that telling an employee to take the rest of the afternoon off is a good way to thank that person for his or her hard work.

"Tell them you are giving them a paid afternoon off as a thank you for being such a valuable member of your team," Matuson said. "Don't be surprised if they show up early on Monday morning feeling rested and ready to plow through their day."

3. Have an Open–Door Policy
Whether it's to discuss career advancement opportunities or an issue they're having with a co-worker, employees should always feel comfortable enough to come talk to you. Having an open-door policy in place will show your staff members that you value them and will take time out of your day to address their questions and concerns. When an employee knocks on your office door, get rid of every distraction and carefully listen to what that person has to say.

4. Be Specific With Praise
It's important to be as specific as possible when showing an employee gratitude. Instead of saying, "Great job," tell the staff member exactly why you are proud of him or her. For example, if a team member has stayed late every night for the past week, you could say something like, "I really appreciate you working late to finish that project for our client. Your work is tremendous, and I look forward to seeing more of it." This will give the praise more meaning and may motivate the employee to keep developing his or her skills.

You don't have to shower your employees with lavish gifts to make them feel valued. If you listen to them and recognize their hard work, your staff members will know how much they are appreciated.