From helping people develop and progress, to building a close-knit team, managing people can be so rewarding. And showing appreciation may be the best management perk of all.
But while it sounds simple, appreciating and recognising staff can get complicated. Poor communication channels, tiny budgets and just ‘feeling awkward’ can all get in the way.
So, how can you show your appreciation for all the great work your team does?
In this article, we’ll look at:
- Employee appreciation vs. recognition: the difference
- Why appreciation and recognition matters in care
- 12 Ways to appreciate and recognise your care team
Let’s jump straight in.
How are employee appreciation and recognition different?
They may sound the same, but appreciation and recognition are in fact different. Where appreciation is mostly about gratitude, recognition has more to do with praise and reward.
Thanking someone for their values and being grateful they’re on the team, that’s appreciation. Giving public kudos or an award for performance, that’s recognition.
It’s an important difference for care home managers, because if budget constraints limit your ability to recognise and reward, unlimited appreciation can be shown for next to nothing.
Here’s why they’re both important tools in care home management.
Why appreciation and recognition matter in your care home
In study after study, social care workers tell us how important it is that they feel valued, appreciated and recognised – and how rarely they actually get to feel that way.
Along with low rates of pay, this appreciation gap is one of the main factors in the industry’s high turnover rates. Here are just a few statistics that illustrate the problem:
- 81% of social care workers want recognition from their line manager, but just 31% receive it regularly
- 50% of social care workers who are looking to leave the sector are leaving because they don’t feel valued enough
- 90% of social care workers say they don’t get the recognition they deserve
- Just 44% of social care workers in Wales feel valued by the general public
As a line manager, you probably can’t do much about pay. But you can make sure people get the thanks and praise they deserve, so they feel valued and happy to stick around.
Here are 12 employee appreciation and recognition ideas you can try.
12 Ways to appreciate and recognise your care home team
1. Just say thanks
Scribble it on a post-it note. Send them a card or a letter. Tell them in your next 1-2-1. It doesn’t matter how you say it – if you’re grateful, just say thank you. If you say it regularly enough, you may find it makes you and your team happier and more productive.
2. Recognise them in meetings
Acknowledge and celebrate success. One study found that social care employees value unexpected or spontaneous praise almost as much as formal reward schemes. Use your team meetings to offer public kudos and thanks for impressive effort and performance.
3. Spotlight them in newsletters
Some people feel a bit uncomfortable receiving face-to-face public recognition. If you’d like to recognise the contribution of someone you suspect will feel this way, consider using a message in a newsletter – or pinned to a staff noticeboard – instead of a team meeting.
4. Celebrate birthdays and milestones
Add your employees’ birthdays to your calendar, and set a reminder to pick up a card and a cake a couple of days before. Do the same for weddings, babies, training achievements and other life milestones to show you care about them as people – not just as employees.
5. Plan their career progression
What better way to say ‘I’m glad you’re on the team’ than helping someone advance in it. Holding regular career planning sessions with your direct reports is a great way to recognise their hard work and let them visualise a bright future within your organisation.
6. Provide learning opportunities
You can’t have career progression without opportunities to learn, and one US survey found 22% of workers see this as the most valuable form of work appreciation. From role-specific training to digital skills and soft skills, put continuous learning at the centre of your culture.
7. Buy them a coffee
With the average UK care worker earning just £12 per hour, and a takeaway coffee costing £3.40, this is a simple ‘thank you’ that requires very little effort. You don’t have to do it every time, but why not use your next 1-2-1 to take them out and treat them to a coffee?
8. Buy them lunch
When you’ve got a whole team to appreciate instead of just one individual, lunch is the way to go. Food delivery apps make this an easy task for line managers. And being able to say ‘lunch is on us today’ followed by ‘pizzas are in the break room’, is pretty nice.
9. Embed constructive feedback
Get into the habit of providing and encouraging feedback. Whether it’s praise for a job well done or constructive criticism, feedback lets people know they’re appreciated for their efforts as well as their achievements – and that their personal growth matters to you.
10. Improve your working environment
Employers who truly appreciate their people don’t make them endure poor working conditions. Whether it’s by communicating openly or promoting a healthy work/life balance, create a positive working environment to show you have their best interests at heart.
11. Make them employee of the month
Why not start an Employee of the Month scheme? A small but tangible prize – an inexpensive trophy and gift card – can represent a whole lot of appreciation. Or, if you have company values, you could give a monthly award to those who best embody each value.
12. Start an appreciation wall
You’re not the only person who can show appreciation and recognition. In a feedback culture, peer-to-peer appreciation flourishes too. Add a pinboard to your staff room just for employees to post messages of thanks and congratulations to each other.
