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The One Perk

It’s no secret the 21st-century work environment looks a little different. From beer on tap and unlimited snacks to nap pods and open time-off policies, companies are striving to capture the attention of millennials with their extensive list of perks.

one-perk

But, you don’t have to be a hip start-up or a trendy tech company to give employees what they want. There’s one highly underrated, but seriously important perk.

Every Employee Wants to be Appreciated

Each of us is born with different talents and skills. In fact, chances are you’re in your position because someone recognized your talent in one specific area and pushed you to pursue it. A quick “job well done” can go a long way in shaping our futures, especially when it comes to our careers.

Business Insider reports the average person spends over 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. It’s no wonder we crave appreciation for the work we dedicate our lives to completing. No one wants to go through life wondering if they made a difference.

Treat employees like they make a difference and they will. 

                            Jim Goodnight, CEO, SAS

Appreciating Employees means knowing their names.

One of the most obvious ways you can appreciate employees is learning their name. For those of us in a small office like PerkSpot, this isn’t a huge challenge. However, for larger companies, it’s even more important to take time to call employees by name. A simple “How’s your day going, Karla?” or “Nice work on the stats, Miles!” goes a long way. By giving positive, personal feedback the employee feels heard and believes their work is important to the success of the company.

Appreciating Employees means giving feedback.

One of the great things about appreciation is that it also provides an opportunity to correct as well. When you consistently and genuinely give praises, employees receive negative comments with more understanding. A well-balanced employee experience includes both corrections and commendations.

Appreciating Employees means significant ROI.

Employee recognition is free, making it the cheapest perk you can offer your employees. Plus, it’s also one of the most effective for productivity, employee happiness, and overall results. Undoubtedly, employee recognition is key to keeping employees engaged. We love Forbes’s definition of employee engagement: “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.” The emotional commitment an employee feels comes from recognizing their accomplishments and attributing company success to their achievements. Increasing employee engagement through recognition can drive results as employees see the pay-off for their hard work.

Show your employees you appreciate them by providing exclusive discounts and recognition through PerkSpot!

Make Every Day Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day, but here at PerkSpot, we believe every day we have the opportunity to make choices that impact the environment in a positive way.

Here are a few ways to make every day Earth Day:

1. Plant a tree!

earth day perkspot
Some things never go out of style. One of those things is the age-old tradition of planting a tree on Earth Day. It’s a small effort that goes a long way.

 2. Ease up on the printing.

office earth day
One of the great things about technology is that is lessens our dependence on paper. Use an app for your daily to-dos, keep your files organized in desktop folders instead of printing documents, create a powerpoint instead of providing handouts, or if you absolutely have to print… use both sides and make the font smaller while still being legible.

3. Use sustainable materials.

earth day perkspot
Make a new goal of purchasing recycled, refurbished or used products whenever available. Speak with your suppliers and see where you can decrease your carbon footprint.

4. Explore commuter benefits and other alternatives.

earth day perkspot
One of our Perks here at PerkSpot are commuter benefits. Because we can purchase our passes at a pre-tax amount, employees here are  encouraged to take public transit to work. With so many ride-sharing options and alternatives to driving out there, it’s easy to provide employees with effective and personal ways they can be involved in the company’s environmental efforts.

5. Power off. 

earth day perkspot
Many of us forget to unplug but by leaving our chargers and laptops plugged in, we’re actually wasting energy. Make sure you unplug anything that doesn’t need to be plugged in over the weekend or in the evening. Turn off the lights when you leave. You know, all those things our moms and dads told us to do when we were kids.

How are you making a difference this Earth Day? Leave us a note in the comments!

Workplace Peer Pressure: Engaging Employees

In his book, “Building a Magnetic Culture”, Kevin Sheridan, Chief Engagement Officer at Human Capital Management, discusses the different levels of engagement we find in the workplace and their effect on each other. Peer pressure is alive and well in our 21st century offices. Which means the engagement levels our employees experience can spread like a virus.

peer pressure

We’ll dive into the ways we can spread positive engagement.
First let’s discuss, as Sheridan details, the different types of employees we encounter:

Employee Types

Actively Disengaged Employees 

are the “Negative Nancy”s of the workplace. They can be found constantly complaining, focusing on problems and openly expressing their discontent and negative outlook on their position.

Ambivalent Employees

are arguably the most dangerous type of employee because they’re often the hardest to spot. They are fulfilling their basic job responsibilities, but not much more. In fact, they rarely offer to lead projects or volunteer for extra opportunities. These nine-to-fivers just want their paycheck, with bags packed and feet out the door by five o’clock sharp.

Actively Engaged Employees 

are the ideal type of employee. As engaged employees, they consistently go above and beyond their job description. They promote the mission and vision of the company’s brand, contribute new ideas, and are optimistic about their future in the company.

Making a Change

Because the majority of employees fall within the Ambivalent category, it’s crucial that they move towards becoming Actively Engaged versus Actively Disengaged.

In a previous article we discussed the importance of workplace friendships on both personal health and organizational success. This is evidence that peer pressure can be essential in driving the increase of employee engagement. One tactic managers can implement is putting these Ambivalent Employees in close proximity to Actively Engaged Employees through group projects and assignments. Because these Engaged employees thrive in environments where they can step up to the plate and lead others, it’s a great way not only to involve the Ambivalent, but also encourage and affirm those employees who are already engaging in positive ways.

Most of the time, however, we don’t associate peer pressure as being a positive force. Just like a high school bully, Actively Disengaged Employees can negatively affect every person in their surroundings. Their negativity can be a virus to the workplace. It’s important not to shy away from addressing this negativity as quickly as possible to not infect others. Because these employees are primarily motivated by their paycheck, it is not likely they will leave on their own initiative. For that reason, it’s crucial that managers speak with any actively disengaged employees.

Address the Whys

When speaking with these employees, it’s also important to assess why they may be feeling apathetic in their work. Many times there could be an opportunity for a constructive conversation. In fact, this conversation could even transform them into some of the mostly highly engaged employees in the organization. However, it is likely that the position or the company may not be a great fit for this particular person and, in that case, discuss transitioning them out of the company.

Taking a page out of Sheridan’s book, “Creating a workplace environment where Engagement thrives and Disengagement dies should always be a management priority.”

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