3 Ways Entrepreneurial Companies Can Show Employee Appreciation

Today is employee appreciation day, and I wanted to share a word of advice for my entrepreneurs who are building teams:

When you pour into your employees, they will pour into you back. When you go all in on your team, they will go all in on the dream. This isn't a once-a-year thing: it's something that should be happening continuously in your business.

A lot of times, we try so hard to be great leaders that we are constantly giving feedback and direction. But...we forget to couple it with energy, celebration, appreciation. So I wanted to give 3 quick tips for showing appreciation to your employees on a day to day basis - beyond just today.

#1: Social events.

Full transparency: 2021 threw us a few curveballs. There were setbacks and obstacles, and as a result I noticed my energy was more corrective than celebratory. I made the realization that most of our team interactions had been in business meetings or formal settings - and when you're 100% focused on execution and skill verses energy and relationships, you're not going to get optimal results.

So, we changed that. Just this year so far we were able to put together two team bonding events and plan to incorporate even more throughout the year – and I've noticed a total shift and elevation in energy on the team. This type of social event, that's not centered around work, is a great way to build relationships among team members: especially in fully or hybrid remote working environments where team members don't have the chance to get a lot of face-to-face interaction. Plan a quarterly meetup somewhere that's convenient or easily accessible, or do a virtual hangout with the sole intent of building and strengthening relationships.

#2: Commission and bonus structures

Allowing your team the ability to create financial freedom in their roles is another great way to show your appreciation - by giving them the opportunity to earn unlimited income. Aside from a base salary with benefits, we also offer ALL employees 10% commission on any sales they make for the company, from low-dollar to high-ticket offers. Not only does this incentivize them to make sales and grow the business, but it gives them the chance to earn more and cross things off their vision boards: vacations, dream homes, paying off student debt, the list goes on. I recently did a live show on Youtube talking about how to create an uncapped commission plan for your team, so be sure to check it out if you don't already have a commission structure in place in your business.

#3: Paid Time Off Incentives

Time is our most valuable resource: so giving your team the extra time to recharge goes a long way. While we incorporate monthly company-wide mental health days on top of PTO, we also like to reward the team with extra time off when we hit milestones or gear up for something big. Example: our gift to the team last year was shutting the company down for the holidays. All divisions were able to take time off between Christmas and New Years' without using up their own PTO, as a way to thank them for their hard work in 2021 and to gear up for the projects we had lined up for 2022.

We also rewarded the team an extra PTO day his month for an exciting milestone we hit as a business (announcement coming soon ??). Extra PTO days can be awarded as contests during launches, achieving big company goals, or even as a reward for team members who have gone above and beyond.

The bottom line is: there are a ton of ways to show your employees you care about them. Don't let it go unnoticed, and remember: one team, one vision, one goal.