A Little Shout Out Goes a Long Way

The number one reason why showroom employees seek greener pastures is a perceived lack of appreciation by ownership for their contributions to the business. Many owners recognize and appreciate the contributions that team members make, but they don’t necessarily know how to effectively communicate their appreciation. Some find it difficult and others erroneously assume that their team knows how the owners feel about them. Others believe offering praise and appreciation too often marginalizes the effectiveness of saying good job when you say it all the time.

There is a lot of data that shows when team members feel appreciated, they are happier, more productive and more loyal. Three Babson University professors researched how employees perceived organizational efforts to offer recognition and appreciation.

The professors found the following actions owners can take to better recognize and appreciate team members:

• Take time out of each day to simply ask your team how they are doing. Asking the question provides opportunities for team members to let you know how they feel, problems they may be experiencing in the office or at home, and what they currently are working on. 
• Don’t mix the good with the bad. When praising employees for a job well done, don’t mention problems that may have been encountered or performance shortcomings. What’s important is to recognize superior performance in one conversation. 
• If there are opportunities for improvement, mention those in a separate conversation. If you only give negative feedback, your team member is likely to believe that they can’t do anything correctly and they will likely give up. Most employees want to know how they can perform better. Tell them in a constructive manner.
• Provide your team opportunities to grow. If you have a great team member that you want to keep for the long term, given them more challenging assignments that stretch their skill sets. Doing so is a statement of trust and admiration. Similarly, providing more flexible work schedules also makes the statement we trust that you will work as hard from home as you do in the showroom. 
• Consistency is key. Spend the first 10 to 15 minutes of your day walking your showroom or writing personal thank you notes to your team for jobs well done. Give shout outs for outstanding performance at staff meetings. Everyone wants to be recognized for great effort.