Let’s face it, running a business isn’t easy. It takes hard work, dedication and a team of great employees who put in the extra effort each and every day to keep things running smoothly. Showing employees how much you appreciate them is essential for keeping morale high and productivity at its peak. Since today is National Employee Appreciation Day, I wanted to share some things we do at ActivTrak to appreciate our employees every day.
Express Gratitude
Whether it’s for going the extra mile on a project or just standing in for someone who’s out, saying “thank you” can have a big impact. One way we do this at ActivTrak is through a “Shoutouts” channel on Slack, where employees regularly recognize each other for going the extra mile.
Celebrate Individuals
Creating a diverse and inclusive culture is critically important, and even more so when everyone works remotely. At ActivTrak we encourage employees to share a little bit about themselves and their interests through a Slack channel called #thepub (pets, snowstorms and baking contests, just to name a few) and “Spotlight” profiles, where every month we highlight employees through a “get to know me” style Q&A that is shared with the entire organization.
Build Community
Another way to show appreciation is to provide opportunities to build community. At ActivTrak we do this through our voluntary Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and various community based Slack channels. These employee-led groups aim to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace around common interests such as women, working parents, mental health and more. We also offer quarterly happy hours, a book club and various regional activities both in-person and virtually.
Offer Flexible Scheduling
We understand that employees have a life outside of their “9-to-5”, and having a healthy work-life balance is important. This could mean supporting a remote or hybrid work model, or offering flexible work hours — or both. When employers offer this kind of flexibility, it shows that they value their employees’ personal lives as much as their professional ones. ActivTrak is a remote-first workplace. Our employees work directly with their manager and co-workers to define the schedule that works best for them, as well as the business. With employees across multiple time zones, we implemented collaboration hours from 10am – 3pm CT that encourage meetings to be held when most employees are online.
Engage and Empower
Great cultures are built on great communication. But with so many tools to help us do that today, it can be easy to lose that human touch — and really connect with each other. One of the things I love about ActivTrak is how we use our own workforce analytics platform to understand how employees are doing and facilitate those “check in” conversations. That includes giving employees access to their own personal insights, and empowering them to have a role in defining their own goals, successes and well-being.
Showing appreciation doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive — but it should be meaningful. Frequently saying “thank you”, recognizing employees for their support, creating an environment where everyone can be themselves, and offering flexible scheduling options all contribute to ensuring employees feel “seen”, valued and appreciated – today and every day. And as a certified Great Place to Work, I couldn’t be more proud of how ActivTrak is leading the way.
