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“Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated.”
~ Robert McNamara
Ever wonder why some businesses seem to have staff flocking to them? How do they tend to have team members that stick around long term, or somehow manage to always find the ones that are superstars at everything they do?
My first job was on a graveyard shift, waitressing in a horrid, brown, polyester dress. It was a hard shift full of late-night bar goers, fights and drunk people. We worked our butts off, and we had a lot of fun, but the pace was fast and furious, leaving us exhausted at the end of a shift. During my time there, not once did management offer appreciation, a pat on the back, or even a simple thanks after getting through a tough night. Very quickly, I started to feel like a mere cog in the machine. As time went on, I started to do the bare minimum. I showed up, worked and went home. Even though the pay was fair and the tips were great, I did not stay long and went on to other similar jobs where my hard work was recognized. The business made it clear they were not invested in me, and so I was not at all invested in benefiting the company.
No matter how much someone enjoys the work, or how well you pay them, they still want to be appreciated. In fact, a lack of recognition or appreciation is the third most common reason people leave their jobs. THAT statistic should not be ignored.
On the flip side, individuals are 73% MORE LIKELY to feel connected and engaged if they feel appreciated by their employer. Platinum Elite Member, Tom Beckmann, owns Sluggos Sports Bar and Grill does a great job doing just that. If asked, Tom will proudly tell you that he provides premium services at premium prices (and he isn’t scared to increase prices) and it helps him pay his staff well. Others will tell you he is a pleasure to work for and his incredible positive outlook spills over and impacts his staff in many ways. The sandwich board shown here is a REAL sign that sits outside his restaurant. Tom is HAPPY to brag about how happy his staff are, and he even uses it as a marketing strategy (Tom is a “MARKETER”). This message, and the loyalty his staff have to his business, translates into trust: people perceive (rightly) that he runs a great business, treats his staff well and, in turn, they’ll be treated the same as customers.
Adopting an ‘attitude of gratitude’ can have a profound impact on your business’s culture as well as your customers; but saying “thank you” is not as easy as you think. In fact, researchers have found that often we struggle with HOW to properly show appreciation to others. If you find yourself struggling to show appreciation to your team members, follow these 3 simple tips and set a personal challenge to verbally show appreciation to at least 1 team member every day you are in your business.
3 Tips
to provide simple, effective messages of thanks & gratitude
Be SPECIFIC, PROMPT (and simple). Resist the generic “Thanks guys”, rather, give a personal message directly to the employee about what they are doing (which by the way, does not need to be overly remarkable), i.e. “Thanks for doing a great job with this order Jane”.
Do it PUBLICLY. Recognize employees in public settings, team meetings, or in front of customers whenever possible. It can be VERY effective in boosting morale and motivation, and in creating a sense of healthy competition, as the observer too will want to be on the receiving end of your attention.
Do it REGULARLY. Sure, this won’t happen every day with every team member, but it should be often enough your employees aren’t shocked when they hear it. When you are in the business, pay attention, set a goal, and it will soon become easier to see the acts that are worthy of recognition.
“People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise, and rewards.” – Dale Carnegie
How Does It Happen At Royalty Rewards®? For many years, our Royalty Rewards® Christmas Party included an award ceremony. Using a simple voting ballot, each team member nominated their co-workers for a “prestigious” award (all coordinated in advance) and leadership also created some of their own. But these were not boring, stuffy awards (think, “Duct Tape – Who do you go to when you just need to get it fixed!”).
Another idea that’s easy to execute is Candy Bar Awards, which links a certain candy bar to a specific skill or action, (ie. 100 GRAND: Your leadership abilities are worth more than 100 Grand. Or ALMOND JOY: You are full of joy and make your teammates happy.) If either of these ideas interest you, flip back to 2023 Edition 6 of the EZ Profit Report for our original article on these awards and how you can use the idea in your business. They’re fun, don’t cost much, and create a great sense of camaraderie.
As we write this, it’s mid August and it is blazing hot. We take advantage of the good weather every year by organizing a Team Building Day and BBQ somewhere outdoors. This year, we got together on a team member’s deck (Thanks Karen!), had lunch brought in, and took part in lots of “non-work” related chat. Thanks to our organizers, everyone even had the opportunity to can a jar of dill pickles (our first pickle-canning event last year was so popular we’ve made it an annual tradition!)
Making dill pickles has nothing to do with what we do at Royalty Rewards® and that’s what makes for a fun team day – spending time together having some good food and some good laughs.
In line with our theme of thanks and gratitude, we want to take this opportunity to Thank You for your partnership and for your support.
Every Royalty Rewards® Team Member is proud to work with Independent Business Owners like you and we are grateful for the opportunity to help grow your sales and profits.