Things to give your employees that really show you care

Making sure your employees know how much they mean to you should be far more frequent than a once-a-year affair
Photo: Hung Nguyen

-  Your ear

Set up casual,  one-on-one coffee meetings with each of your direct reports, but instead of spending the time talking about their performance, take some time to ask them a little more about their careers, hopes, and dreams. Ask them what their goals are, and think about how you can help them. Get their thoughts on how their jobs are going, and see if there’s anything you can do to help them work better. Give them an opportunity to give you feedback.

By spending some time listening to what your employees want (and then, to the best of your abilities, following through or at least following up to let them know you’re doing your best to help), they’ll understand that you’re not just there to make them do work, you want to help them succeed.

-  Opportunities

Finding opportunities for your employees is a great way to show that you’ve really got their backs. From the fun (attending cool industry events in your place, letting them use your office with a view for the afternoon) to the seriously career-boosting (getting them company tickets to a conference, setting up a meeting with a higher-up) your employees will appreciate that you’re doing what you can to help them grow and get the most out of their jobs.

-  Trust

Showing employees that you trust them is always a huge compliment. It means that you think their work quality is high enough that you don’t feel the need to worry about them. And the easiest way to show trust in the workplace? Give your team members a little extra ownership over something. Whether it’s a task they no longer need to run by you (“I think you’re ready to send the client emails without me looking at them moving forward”), or a new project or process you can hand over (“I want to pass the responsibility of managing freelancers over to you – I think you’ll do a stellar job!”), try and think of something you can entrust your top employees with.

-  A treat

This one is kind of obvious, but an easy way to appreciate your team members is by getting them a little treat. Surprise everyone with some mid-afternoon doughnuts and coffee, order in lunch for the group today, or get a happy hour with your employees on the calendar (and make sure they know you’re footing the bill).

-  Thanks

Sometimes, just saying a hearty “Thank you!” is all your employees really need to hear. It shows you’re paying attention to the work that they’re doing and that you know how much it matters to the company. And, well, there’s not much that’s more appreciative than that.

Source: navigossearch.com ; Inc.com ; Linkedin.com ; forbes.com; Tlnt.com