Thank You In The Time of Covid
Why Appreciation is Critical for Creating Durable Positive Engagement
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No one likes to work in a void.
People need feedback - input on their ideas, knowing if their proposed project worked, or even simply being told they’re doing a good job. Yet, the feeling of a lack of appreciation is a constant refrain of many of our coaching clients. And, in today’s COVID climate, leaders may have to be more creative in how they show their appreciation. While working virtually has been on the rise for years, previous methods of demonstrating appreciation might need serious tweaking. You can’t stop by someone’s desk for a personal “thank you” after a great presentation; tangible forms of recognition such as bonuses or promotions might be limited because the organization is facing budget cuts or layoffs. Making an extra effort in this new environment will give team members a strong sense of self-worth and the resulting positive engagement will have a productive, long-lasting impact on your organization.
Effectively conveying appreciation to employees can often be challenging for leaders. For one, peoples’ sense of worth, need for recognition, and way in which they are comfortable receiving praise can vary enormously. Some appreciate a compliment shared in front of the whole team while others prefer messages communicated privately in a one on one setting. Others don’t need any conversation at all because it’s the bonuses and raises that make them feel respected. Another challenge for managers is that they can fall into the trap of showing appreciation to employees in ways that they themselves seek out. If you want your positive feedback to be impactful, you must know what makes each of your team members tick.
Personality assessment tools, such as those offered by Hogan or Birkman, can help uncover people’s need to feel valued. The Hogan assessment has a category called “recognition” that measures the importance of recognition for the individual. Similarly, the “incentives” part of the Birkman evaluation measures one’s desire for tangible, measurable, rewards and recognition. We see many clients whose assessments reveal a very high need for tangible recognition such as promotions and raises. But for others, their assessments highlight that the intangibles including team effort or a collective sense of accomplishment fulfills their needs. So as a manager, what can you do now to make your employees feel valued? Here are some ideas:
Step 1: If you haven’t been doing this already, check in with each of your employees and ask how you can be supportive or help boost their motivation during this time.
Step 2: Once you learn what makes your employees feel valued, follow the “timely, specific, and frequent” rule to recognize them for a job well done.
Timely: When your employee does something well, express positive feedback within 24-48 hours. It doesn’t help to give praise three months after the action took place!
Specific: Make the praise specific to an action or behavior. Highlighting a particular aspect of something done well helps your employees with their professional development. A blanket “good job” is too vague to be effective.
Frequent:Try to recognize your employees’ accomplishments at least weekly. Quarterly reviews are not frequent enough.
Step 3: Most importantly, get creative with how to express appreciation.
Set up phone calls or virtual appointments to check-in: Take this opportunity to focus on your employees’ well-being rather than discuss work.
Use notes/emails to recognize your employee’s contribution: Imagine receiving an actual card from your boss!
Offer paid time off or a flexible schedule: Consider a Friday off after a long intense week of working towards an important deadline. Flextime during COVID is likely to be incredibly important to employees who are trying to balance working from home while managing logistics such as daytime food shopping, or home schooling younger children.
Leverage team interactions: If your employee likes to be recognized publicly, give them a shoutout at a virtual team meeting. Even better, do so when senior leadership is in the meeting.
Create weekly team emails highlighting each person’s accomplishments: Ask everyone on your team to share their “success” stories from the week. Edit these down and distribute back to the team, acknowledging each person’s skills and accomplishments.
In today’s environment, it’s important not to lose sight of peoples’ well-being and cultivating a sense of connection should come before business at hand. Most of all, be genuine in the way you express yourself. Sincerity and authenticity are durable, will outlast the current crisis, and help make you and your team stronger in the long term.