Sometimes you read a post on LinkedIn that really speaks to you and stays with you, a post that was thoughtfully written, trying to make an impact. One week later, I am still thinking about a post on the ROI and positive ripple effect of showing appreciation in the workplace.
Showing appreciation to colleagues and subordinates doesn’t take a lot of effort, but it’s a small act that can have a big impact.
Let me share a “worst practice” story that I included in my book. It should make you cringe.
A message in my inbox came from a former client who has been in her position for just a short time: “Last week my supervisor told me I was being too nice to ‘the staff.’ She also stated that she doesn’t believe in complimenting ‘the staff ’ because she believes it makes them become complacent instead of trying to work harder. Finally, she told me I’m making her look like the ‘bad cop’ because I’m too nice to ‘the staff.’ I’m completely at a loss for words. I don’t think this is going to be a successful place for me long term.”
My client gave it some thought and then started her job search. She found another position that was a much better fit.
In a work environment where people don’t feel appreciated, you will have higher turnover, and it will likely be your top performers who leave.
If you don’t follow Karl Staib on LinkedIn, you should. He posts regularly about standard operating procedures (SOPs), including why small businesses need them and how to do them. Many small business owners don’t stop to document processes as they go along and then they run into big issues when they need to delegate tasks, or when a key person leaves and nobody knows how they did their job.
Here is Staib’s gorgeous post, which is an example of what you should do to boost employee engagement and productivity, and to decrease turnover. It’s long. Please take the time to scroll down and read the whole thing.
Karl Staib’s appreciation post:
I hope this post convinced you to take that extra step to appreciate the great work your staff does because it is easy to do and can have a huge payoff for your business.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
