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How Effective Managers Organize Their Time: 9 Pro Tips From Real HubSpot Managers

A recent report from 1 to 1 Media and Survey Monkey, which studied 511 US employees on motivation, productivity and job satisfaction, found that less than 10% received daily praise. Not to mention, 25% could not recall the last time they were recognized or rewarded by managers and/or business leaders. As positive office culture continues to become an increasingly popular recruiting tactic for top talent, business leaders need to put an emphasis on recognizing employees and focus on driving humanization within the workplace. Showing genuine appreciation for employee’s work effort is a human act that can ultimately put them on the track to success and boost work engagement. Some of the world’s leading companies have made culture a priority and much of their longtime success can be related to their highly motivated and engaged workforce. For example, while Hyatt puts a high focus on promoting employee development with diverse training offerings, Google puts emphasis on a culture of transparency in order to empower employees and facilitate ownership. In the greater scheme of things, focusing on employee engagement shows that business leaders value their individual needs, making staff feel of importance to the overall business. Taking the initiative to show frequent appreciation and recognition to employees is the first step to building an engaging office culture. Here are five easy, but effective ways to show genuine thanks to staff: 1. Listen As people, we all want to be heard. According to the study, 30% of participants felt their thoughts are not valued at work. Listening to staff and having an open relationship not only encourages them to share their ideas freely, but also shows you value their opinions. 2. Recognize Whether it is pointing out an employee in a staff meeting for a job well done, congratulating a longtime employee for their years of service or publically thanking an employee for their extra help on a project, recognition is a meaningful form of appreciation. Another great way to recognize an employee for their dedicated work effort, is to allow them to present their project or idea to business leaders. Giving employees ownership of their work shows you value them, more than the work itself. 3. Reward Rewarding employees with an impactful gift that says “thank you” is a great way to show appreciation. Presenting a gift that matches the employee’s personal likes, hobbies or interests takes appreciation to the next level. For example, if your employee is a travel enthusiast, gifting a pair of quality noise-canceling headphones from Parrot or Klipsch shows that you know them as an individual and creates long-term “trophy value” for the employee. 4. Socialize Getting social with employee recognition is a great way to publicize your appreciation and make it companywide. A few great ideas are to acknowledge an employee with a sincere note in your company newsletter or post a meaningful message with an accompanying photo on your company’s social media! However, make sure to first consult with the employee and ensure they are comfortable with social appreciation. 5. Humanize One of the best ways to show genuine appreciation is to directly ask the employee what you can do for them! In most cases, employees are asked to do things for other people daily. Therefore, making their individual desires a priority is a meaningful and humanizing act of appreciation.