How Great Leaders Recognize and Reward Employees
Pay raises are helpful, but they may not be the biggest motivator to keep your amazing team members on the right track. Money is helpful, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s temporary. Your employees want to reach larger goals and achieve more valuable things. Great leaders want to see their employees feel truly fulfilled, and that means more than just throwing some extra cash at them. Great leaders use their influence to lift their team members up.
By Helping Them Further Their Careers
A raise in the same position isn’t nearly as rewarding as a promotion to a more important position that offers higher pay. It comes with more responsibility, but it also comes with more prestige. When employees work hard, let them work their way up. Promotions do more than dispense greater levels of responsibility – they show your employees that you believe in them, and trust them enough to put them in a position of more importance than their previous position.
By Offering Them Time and Non-Monetary Perks
Think about all the little things you can do to make your employees’ lives and careers better. Lots of companies offer their employees perks, and some of these perks are better than others. Consider things like flexible scheduling.
Coming in an hour earlier and staying an hour later here and there can make up enough time to score an employee an extra day off without losing any pay. Let salaried employees leave a few hours early to spend time with their families. Work life balance shows your employees you care about them no matter where they are.
By Assisting Their Networking Efforts
When an employee wants to move throughout your company, they may not be on the right career track to get where they’re trying to go. You can use your role as a leader to help them make connections they need to move into the right position. You might be the only one with the keys to unlock those doors that are stopping an employee from getting where he or she is trying to go. When an employee has proven themselves to be competent and ambitious, use those keys.
By Empowering Them in the Workplace
Nothing demonstrates trust and value like empowering an employee who deserves to be empowered. When you’re giving an employee independent authority, you’re saying that you value their judgment just as much as you value your own. You’re holding them as an equal, rather than a subordinate. Empowerment is a reward for everyone involved. Your employee won’t need to waste time consulting with you when they’re perfectly capable of taking initiative, and you have more free time to work with employees who need your help to succeed.
By Giving Them Official Recognition
Official recognition is recognition that takes place in front of others, especially if it may have continuing positive consequences long after the recognition has taken place. Award your employees for another successful and productive anniversary with the company. Celebrate promotions in the office. If a young employee finishes schooling while they’re working for you, have a graduation celebration.
As a leader, you’re only doing as well as your weakest employee. When one person succeeds, everyone succeeds. You have a lot of responsibilities to handle, but one of the most important responsibilities is making sure that everyone is doing the very best they can. These positive reinforcements will keep everyone striving for more innovative and groundbreaking horizons.
About the author:
Elizabeth Lee is a careers and HR blogger from Australia. Currently writing on behalf of PACK & SEND, Elizabeth might often be found sharing her strategies and suggestions with business owners and employees alike. Feel free to follow her at @LelizabethLee86.
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