The manufacturing industry can be a tough one. From the various onsite jobs to factory production in general, employees are the backbone of manufacturing.
However, how manufacturing companies reward their employees is antiquated. Nowadays, workers see their contributions and bonuses as too corporate-based. How can companies end the divide between employee and corporation?
This quick guide will look at the dos and don’ts of showing appreciation to employees. In learning these dos and don’ts, you and your company will not only fun business effectively, but you’ll also get more happy employees.
The Don’ts On Employee Appreciation
Now, before we explore the ways to reward employee performance, let’s first look at the ways that you should DEFINITELY AVOID:
- Employee Of The Month – One of the oldest methods in the book, the “Employee of the Month” reward only focuses on one employee … not everyone else. Instead of making company achievements exclusive, why not make it inclusive?
- Committee Awards – While distributing special awards to committee members can be fun, they can actually be humiliating to those who don’t win anything, despite pouring their hearts and souls into the company. Remember: Everyone in the committee has done something for the company; so, you and management should recognize that.
- Cataloging – This method focuses on the length of employee service. Essentially, the longer someone has been with the company, the bigger the bonus. And, this method has employees look through a catalogue to “pick” their prizes. However, this method is inferior, because you’re forcibly having employee stress over “winning” something, rather than having them put in legitimate work.
3 Ways To Do Employee Appreciation Right
While you and your company may mean well for employees, it’s still important to treat your workforce with respect, instead of commodities. Use this opportunity as a means to motivating your workforce, especially since the manufacturing industry can have its ups and downs. From stressful work to just getting to work on time, employees will need all the support that they can get, as they put in work for the company, which involve:
- Production
- Sourcing
- Supply chain
- Inventory
- Quality control
- Product distribution, etc.
That’s why it’s important to show employees gratitude for the work that they put in. Showing gratitude reduces strain and stress levels in employees, and it doesn’t affect their self-esteem and or work ethics.
With that in mind, here are 3 ways to implement effective employee appreciation in your manufacturing business:
1. Manager Training
That’s right! Even managers, supervisors and team leaders need some training themselves!
Too often, the suits are focused on outcomes that they lose sight of how important their workforces are – not much as a “please” and “thank you” to employees. That’s why, people in the corporate side of the company must learn to show gratitude to their employees. One way to train the higher-ups is to have them list what they’re grateful for, when it comes to their employees, so that they can get a better understanding of how much their workforces put into their companies.
2. Make Employee Happiness Number One
Employee happiness is extremely important, because happy employees mean more production and stress-free work culture. When workers feel appreciated by management, they’re more likely to perform better and to feel happier about their jobs as a whole. Therefore, keep the following objectives in mind:
- Choose your words wisely.
- Be encouraging to your employees.
- Show genuine appreciation to every employee.
- Be positive at all times. AND,
- Stay proactive in showing your gratitude to employees.
3. Corporate Gratitude Daily
Finally, it’s important to show gratitude every single day, instead of once in a blue moon. Nowadays, people need more than a “job well done” just to get through the day. In facts, all employees need more than that every day. How? By exhibiting plenty of patience, and being consistent with gratitude towards employees. While it may take some time to implement these changes, it’s still worth it, when it comes to morale and productivity in your manufacturing company.
Conclusion
Ultimately, manufacturers and supply chains are better off when they show plenty of gratitude towards their workforce. There’s no need to let employees succumb to stress and ineffective attempts of employee appreciation.
By keeping in mind these dos and don’ts in employee appreciation, this guide is essential to ensuring employee happiness, thus promising the most productivity in the company. So, why not give gratitude a try today?
