Employee Appreciation Should Last More Than A Day

Did you know Employee Appreciation Day is March 4^th? The holiday might have snuck up on you, but you don’t need a special day to celebrate the people who make your organization great. Showing your staff appreciation and recognition is more than just a nice thing to do – it can be a key component to retention, recruiting, and culture.

In our Employee Perspectives survey, 59% of senior care employees reported that they were burned out or stressed. That’s no surprise, but you need to keep it in mind when thinking about ways to retain employees and show them they are valued, especially since many healthcare workers are seeking employment outside the industry. Nearly half of the senior care leaders we surveyed for our Workforce 360 report said they compete with hotels, restaurants, retail, and gig economy services when hiring. Bottom line – your employees have more options than ever when it comes to where they work. Make your community their first choice of employment by building personal connections, acting on feedback, and recognizing top performers.

A rewards and recognition program can help you accomplish this in a way that’s fair and automatic. In fact, nearly a third of senior care employees said that a rewards and recognition program for contributions at work is among their top desired work perks. And 49% of senior care leaders say they are offering these types of programs. In terms of staffing competition, this means if you aren’t recognizing your employees’ good work, someone else will. Rewards and recognition programs are no longer a “nice to have” employee perk – they are essential to obtaining and retaining top talent.

Beyond hiring and retention, employee appreciation can have a positive impact on your bottom line. When your employees are recognized and feel valued they perform better at their jobs and feel more loyal to your organization, which leads to higher resident satisfaction and lower turnover. On average, each employee you need to replace due to turnover costs between $3,500 and $5,000. Use your community size and turnover rate to see just how much money your organization could save in our Cost of Turnover Calculator.

Bonuses and raises aren’t the only ways to show employee appreciation. Here are some examples of perks you could add to recognize and reward employees.

• Give your employees real-time access to earned wages to help them manage their expenses and avoid cash advance fees.
• Provide employees with more flexibility. Digitize your schedule and make it mobile-friendly so employees can check their schedules anytime, anywhere to easily view and request open shifts.
• Celebrate employee successes with leaderboards that highlight top performers, or create an award to recognize those who go above and beyond. (By the way, nominations for the OnShift Applause Awards are now open!)
• Provide free snacks or treats on special days, like Employee Appreciation Day or CNA Day.
• Reward consistent successes, like no call-offs and on-time clock-ins, with gift cards or PTO.
• Offer free rides to work via a ride-share app or a community van.

Whatever you choose to do, make sure your employee appreciation program is fair, consistent, and helps your employees feel more valued and understood. Your employees deserve to be celebrated beyond Employee Appreciation Day on March 4^th, don’t you agree? Learn how OnShift Engage can help you accomplish that here.