9 Most Meaningful Gestures from Bosses to Their Employees

There’s a popular saying that employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. And there’s a lot of truth in that statement.

As per a report by Inc.com, three out of four employees report their boss as the worst and most stressful part of their job. The difference between a good boss and a bad one is that one makes you hate your job and the other makes you love every minute of it.

Consider yourself lucky if you have a generous boss who takes care of the essential needs of his team members. Here is a list of some meaningful gestures that employees love from their bosses:

1. Get to know them by their name

Calling team members by their name build a personal connection on an individual basis and also forges a sense of reliability. It makes you come across as someone who likes to pay attention to the people around and not just give orders. Start with a good ol’ high-five in the morning.

2. Not acting boss-like

Employees love bosses who have no airs about their power. Oftentimes, the best thing a boss can do is to stop acting like a boss. Just give them enough power to make choices and show that you trust them.

3. Giving you their undivided attention

When a boss stops looking at his phone or pauses what he’s doing to just listen to you, nothing is more valuable than that for employees. The gesture implies that he values your opinion and respects you as an individual.

4. Offer specific praise

Employees have this innate desire to be acknowledged for their efforts and contributions they bring to a workplace. Go beyond a ‘great job’ or ‘atta boys’ and give specific appreciation to a team member for a job well done. Praise what you liked specifically. Trust me, it’ll do wonders!

5. Ask employees their opinion

It’s rare when seniors put their ego aside and ask for opinions and ideas from team members and juniors but when they do it, employees love it. Want to engage more employees, show your interest to know their opinion on current projects, tasks, and processes.

Foster effective team communication so team members can share ideas without any hesitation. Try ProofHub!

6. Giving you a Friday afternoon off

When you see someone going an extra mile and working their butt off, it becomes your duty to take care of their well-being. If Dave has been coming early and leaving late from the last few days, giving him a Friday afternoon off to show that you care will mean the world to him.

7. Ordering food when the team is working late

Picture this: You guys are working on an important marketing campaign. Things are all over the place. The team has been putting all-nighters from the last few days. People are both stressed and demotivated. And your boss comes with pizzas, doughnuts and cold drinks and decides to join you all and get things done.

Now tell me how it feels. Amazing, right?

8. Movie-day in the office

Team building goes a long way. Nothing works better than an afternoon off and taking your team out for a movie. It lightens the mood and helps everyone in a team to experience emotion as a group and connect with each other on a personal level.

9. Honest Thank-you notes

Might sound cheesy, but works best of them all. Always remember that a heartfelt and well-designed thank you note can motivate employees and inspire them to deliver their best. The point here is to make a gesture to show how much you appreciate the worker. It’s generous, personal, and touching.

Some other meaningful gestures include taking interest in their interests, pushing them beyond their comfort zone, sharing personal stories and experiences among others. That said, these gestures would mean different things to different employees. So, when was the last time a boss made you feel special and how exactly was it, tell us in the comments below.

Author Bio:

Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder and CEO of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. He’s one person always on a lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams, and organizations. You’ll find him saying, “Let’s go!” instead of “Go!” many times a day. That’s what makes him write about leadership in a way people are inspired to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more. For more inspirational articles follow him on Linkedin.