Evive Honors National Employee Appreciation Day With Six Ideas to Increase Employee Engagement, Retention and Motivation

• In celebration and recognition of the 159.82 million U.S. employees who have dedicated their time and energy to their workplace, Evive shares six ideas every employer should commit to in honor of #EmployeeAppreciationDay.

In celebration and recognition of the 159.82 million US employees who have dedicated their time and energy to their workplace, Evive, the leader in digital engagement and communication technology, shares six ideas every employer should commit to in honor of Employee Appreciation Day.

“Employee Appreciation Day is more than just a day when businesses show their staff how much they are appreciated and valued,” said Prashant Srivastava, founder and CEO of Evive. “It’s the ideal time for employers to renew their commitment to encouraging and improving employee engagement. By using this day to build a fresh start or elevate the current employee experience, employers help their employees find real purpose in their roles, achieve success and realize their full potential in the organization.”

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Here are six ideas employers should commit to improving on during Employee Appreciation Day, based on research and data, to foster employee loyalty, boost morale and demonstrate ongoing gratitude:

Employee Recognition:
In Evive’s latest National Employee Journey Survey, 93% of employers said their organization had a system for recognition, but only 76% of employees agreed. And while 95% of employers believed their employees received recognition for performing well, 77% of employees agreed.

Whether it’s creating a new recognition program or reevaluating a current one, employers need an ongoing way to celebrate employee accomplishments, like going above and beyond in their job, reaching a milestone like a work anniversary or earning a promotion. By recognizing or rewarding achievements, employees know their contributions are valued, and employers can encourage the behaviors and performance they want to see.

Employee Engagement:
Engaged employees are loyal employees. The National Employee Journey study found that 75% of employees said they’re committed to and connected to the job they do every day. Still, only 68% of employees said they were committed to their employer, a potential red flag in the midst of the Great Resignation.

“Employees are more likely to feel loyalty to a company when they feel like they have invested their time and effort in the organization, whether a new business win, monetary growth or creating a new product,” said Srivastava.

Employers who want a loyal workforce must listen to employees and prioritize feedback through regular pulse surveys and check-ins. Additionally, leaders must clearly communicate their expectations and share how employees can grow within the organization.

Employee Communication:
Employers often use mass emails with no feedback loop to communicate with employees. However, few have insight into click-throughs, open rates or on-message times, which prevents them from personalizing communication further. Without this feedback loop to see where employees are responding (or not responding) makes it nearly impossible to deliver relevant information time and time again.

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Consumers demand a personalized experience, so it’s only natural that employees want the same. Employers that customize employee communications with highly relevant content based on employees’ individual needs and interests increase engagement, drive better performance and generate better outcomes.

In addition, with the rise of smartphones and communication platforms, companies that distribute personalized messaging based on an employee’s preferred choice of communication, such as text, email or push notification, make it easier for employees to engage.

Work-Life Balance, Great Resignation and Burnout:
The Great Resignation has had a lasting impact on employees who choose to stay. The survey data revealed that 26% of employees said employee turnover had a significant or very significant impact on their job, and 56% felt some impact.

In addition, 24% of employees said increased workload was the biggest impact of losing workers, 22% said increased stress, 18% said longer hours, 15% said less managerial support, 14% cited lost institutional knowledge and 7% cited child care/eldercare issues.

Employees are feeling burned out and looking for new opportunities. Prevent churn by doing more to reduce stress and extra work hours, in support of better work-life balance. Consider out-of-the-box ideas like lunchtime yoga, mental health days off or calendar blocks to refocus and re-energize.

To automate efforts, consider a personalized communications platform that sends regular reminders for manager check-ins on employees, or even delivers information on employee assistance programs based on claims data.

Benefit Packages:
Insights from Evive’s study show 25% of employees believe their total retirement expenses, such as housing, medical and leisure, will be $100,000 or less. Experts recommend saving $1 million or more. Employees want (and need) financial planning benefits, yet it was one of the least frequently offered benefits, with only 15% of employees saying it was an option at their company.

Employees today require financial resources to address their needs, set goals and organize their financial life. Employers play a critical role in alleviating employees’ financial stress. Helping them understand how to use benefits like 401(k) or HSA’s can help them manage their expenses and save properly for retirement. And communicating these benefits in a personalized manner can help boost engagement.

Career Development and Leadership Identification:
Evive’s study also considered employee development and leadership training. Sixty-two percent of employees agreed their employer cared about their professional development, 51% of employees felt their company offered a clear path for career growth and advancement and 63% agreed their company provided the right amount of training for new leaders.

Formalizing professional development efforts is a win-win for employers and employees. Career development provides employees with a path to enhance their skills, knowledge and growth. It serves as a roadmap to reach short- and long-term goals.

In addition, by leveraging a communications platform to help create, monitor and deliver training courses, managers can help manage progress, automate tasks and analyze results. The same platform uses this information and other assessments to help identify which employees have potential to become the future leaders of the organization vs. those that want to continue in an individual contributor role.

“In celebration of Employee Appreciation Day, like many organizations, Evive is closing its doors to give employees a mental health day, separate from vacation or personal time off, which provides an opportunity to unplug and recharge,” said Srivastava. “Our employees are the heart and soul of our company. We want them to know they are cared for and cared about, and this is just a small token of gratitude for their hard work, dedication and all they do.”

The competition for talent is fierce and a commitment to reward, recognize and appreciate employees needs to be the cornerstone of any employee culture. There is no better day to start that investment than Employee Appreciation Day.