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Thanking Employees for Giving

11/21/2021

12 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch - professor of Marketing at Messiah University -
​author of 
Honorable Influence - founder of Mindful Marketing 

Even during a pandemic, there’s much for which to be thankful.  Most organizations are grateful they’ve weathered the economic turmoil; at the same time, they also should be showing gratitude to the stakeholder group that has become increasingly important to them:  their employees.
 
Help wanted signs in store windows and job listings on websites abound.  Most of us can't recall so many organizations, in all kinds of industries, competing for such a wide range of talent.
 
A few months ago, I offered some suggestions for how organizations might better market themselves to a shrinking pool of prospective employees.  Such successful onboarding is very important; however, it’s probably not as important as another tactic, which an old adage from personal selling mirrors:
 
It’s easier to keep current customers than it is to acquire new ones.
 
From a personnel perspective:
 
It’s better to keep existing employees than it is to hire new ones.
 
Those of us who have served on search committees, conducted job interviews, and participated in training, know the significant time, effort, and expense it takes to make successful hires.
 
Yes, every organization needs to bring new employees ‘onto the bus,’ but if good, veteran employees are getting off faster than new ones are getting on, the company really needs to shift its focus, for economic and other reasons, from acquisition to retention.
 
Keeping employees satisfied and wanting to stay in their jobs has been the focus of HR practitioners and management theorists, such as Frederick Herzberg, for over half a century.  Marketers also have offered input through the specialization known as internal marketing, which treats employees as a unique target market and strives to meet their needs.
 
If you’ve ever left a job or thought of leaving one, you know many considerations impact the decision, some tangible like pay and benefits, others more intangible like respect and recognition.  In many ways, all these factors coalesce into one desire that practically everyone, employed or not, has each day: to feel appreciated.  We all like to know that others—family, friends, and employers—are thankful for us.
 
So, how exactly should employers show that they’re thankful for the people that work for them?  Of course, there’s no one way.  Also, different people might appreciate certain approaches more than others, similar to the way individuals have different “love languages,” or ways in which they’d like others to show love to them.
 
To help me understand best practices for showing gratitude, I reached out to three business professionals whose work prioritizes employee satisfaction.  Some ideas they shared were familiar, but many included a ‘creative twist,’ and still others were completely new.  Here are several of their responses to my question: How can organizations show their employees they’re thankful for them?
 
1. Anthony Hahn, president and CEO of Conestoga Wood Specialties

Manufacturing some of the nation’s highest-quality custom cabinets and wood components undoubtedly takes a skilled work force that is challenging to recruit and retain, especially in a tight labor market.  Hahn shared that new measures such as higher starting wages, improved vacation opportunities, and attendance bonuses have helped offset those challenges.
 
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However, Conestoga have gone much further to communicate to its employees that they’re appreciated.  The company has given workers more flexibility in attending to personal needs, instituted employee recognition events with catered lunches, improved training of front-line supervisors, and enhanced corporate communication.
 
During the holidays, there are still more expressions of gratitude that Conestoga offers its 1,000+ employees, spread across several states, but two of the most significant things Hahn does throughout the year are to send each employee a birthday card and to seek opportunities to interact with individual employees and personally thank them for their work.

2. Stephanie Lehman, marketing coordinator for Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls and Bread
 
It’s unlikely that Martins would be the nation’s #1 potato roll and the bun of choice for Shake Shack if it didn’t have happy employees.  However, because of its workers’ exceptional response throughout the pandemic, the company felt it needed to do more to express its appreciation for them.
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Lehman shared that one thing the firm has done is increase written communication to employees, sending a “Martin’s Management Minute” during the summer months—the  busiest time of year for a bun maker—in order to recognize employees’ exceptional contributions to the company’s success.
 
This past summer, Martin’s extended its gratitude a step further by videoing members of its executive team as they personally thanked employees for their contributions.  The firm played the videos on digital signs throughout buildings at its headquarters and in satellite locations.
 
In addition, every three years the company unfurls a full-out celebration of its workers by hosting employee picnics at each of its bakery locations.  With free food, games, and entertainment, the events are more like large carnivals or fairs, but they’re just for Martin’s families.
 
3. Jessica Walter, senior consultant for culture and employee engagement at Kincentric

Much of Walter’s career has involved helping all kinds of organizations communicate more effectively with their employees.  As such, she’s seen examples on either end of the efficacy continuum, as well as all points in between.
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Above all, Walter emphasizes that organizational leaders need to examine their communication and “make it personal”:
 
“Today's most effective leaders are focused on the human side of leadership – the heart side of leadership. Employees are craving connection, care, and compassion more than ever before, so a sincere expression of gratitude from a leader has a powerful impact.”  
 
She describes how that personal communication can happen, saying:
 
“Whether it's a heartfelt email to the entire company, hand-written thank-you notes to your immediate team, or walking the floor and personally thanking each person you see, the act of appreciating and acknowledging [people] fosters trust and deepens the relationship.” 
 
I’m not sure if Walter has ever consulted with Conestoga or Martin’s, but it seems like she could have, as each of those companies’ expressions of gratitude to its employees are excellent reflections of her advice.
 
I’ve long been a believer that the customer comes first.  Although I still affirm that marketing mandate, I’m increasingly of the mind that treating one’s own personnel well is a critical, moral prerequisite.  Moreover, companies that regularly communicate thankfulness to their employees are engaged in some of the most “Mindful Marketing.”
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12 Comments
Dylan Cuperus
12/1/2021 08:28:42 pm

I think that it very beneficial to show appreciation to employees. My mom runs her own business and during this difficult time it was hard to bring employees as they were making more on unemployment than they would have if they had just went back to work. However, when the emergency authorized unemployment ran out the employees wanted to come back but those positions had been filled by people that actually wanted to work. That aside I see the benefit in thanking the ones who stayed.

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Tori Williams
12/3/2021 11:39:43 am

This article shows how important it is to express gratitude for employees. I had an experience with a job in which a lot of the employees wanted to leave because they felt overlooked. They did not receive the thanks that they felt they should get for all the work they were putting in. I think it is a simple way for a company to make sure employees on all levels know that the work they are doing is appreciated.

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Kayla Momose
12/4/2021 04:33:59 pm

As someone who has firsthand experience in a work environment where my hard work was taken advantage of and not acknowledged, I completely agree that taking the time and effort to make employees feel appreciated is crucial. Despite me being one of the most quick and efficient employees at my old job, my managers had no regard for my physical or mental health. They were also extremely dishonest with the "raises" they gave us, as well as other various company policies. I felt unseen and uncared for in that job, so I quit. It wasn't worth sacrificing my mental health to stay, and I stand by my decision. If my managers had cared for my wellbeing more than profits, if they saw and appreciated the hard work I did, it would have made all the difference in the world to my experience working there.

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Justin Sweat
12/5/2021 01:41:10 pm

As someone who as experienced the labor shortage after working at Chick-fil-a for almost four years, I can attest to the claim that working with a labor shortage is really heavy on the workers and the business itself. That is why it is super important to show your gratitude to your employees because they control the culture of the workplace. Profits are up in a lot of businesses and thus wages are increasing but that does not seem to be a pull factor for labor

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Kiana Haldeman
12/5/2021 02:11:24 pm

This article was quite interesting because I could relate to many aspects. As a Chick-fil-A employee, I enjoyed reading how important it is for businesses to show their appreciate for their employees. The team at Chick-fil-A does an outstanding job (in my opinion) of making their team members feel valued and important. In fact, I received a care package at college a month ago from my Chick-fil-A team back at home. We also have a team group chat that highlights MVPs and congratulates members on promotions and anniversaries!

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Noelle Walters
12/7/2021 05:50:40 pm

I think that it is extremely important to show gratitude towards employees. I worked at a grocery store and the managers did not treat the employees very well. The employees were taken advantage of and didn't feel very appreciated. Whenever a customer would compliment myself it would make me feel good about the work I was doing. I know when my coworkers would get compliments it would make there days and give them motivation to keep working.

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Miles Paleveda
12/8/2021 12:38:57 am

As mentioned near the beginning, there are tangible and intangible ways a company can thank it's employees. From my perspective, the tangible ways are more effective at expressing thanks than the intangible.
I once worked at a supermarket, and left because of a lack of tangible "thanks." I never got a pay raise despite working there for a long time. I was getting paid just as much as a new employee, despite being much better at my job due to my experience. I also felt as if my health was at risk due to a lax smoking policy.
My manager would verbally gave me thanks occasionally, but it did not seem genuine. Regardless, even if the verbal thanks had been more consistent and genuine, it would not have been enough to overcome the lack of tangible benefits.
I personally think both tangible and intangible thanks are deserved by employees, but the former cannot be compensated for by the latter.

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Micah L
12/8/2021 04:14:15 pm

As many have also expressed, the importance of gratitude and appreciation in the workplace cannot be understated. I, too, have worked in the restaurant industry and felt extremely under-appreciated, despite my devotion to my job. While company-wide rewards are nice, they feel very impersonal, as some employees put forth more effort than others, but everyone reaps the same reward. I believe more individualized evaluation and gratitude would be beneficial. Employers are in an extremely difficult position right now, struggling to find workers. But, like the article said, some of the labor shortage could be remedied by companies appreciating the people who do choose to show up everyday.

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Isabella K
12/8/2021 08:31:44 pm

This article reminds me of my job at a fast food restaurant in high school. The company kept loosing veteran employees, so they were going downhill fast. They ended up raising the pay rate to accomodate more employees and encourage the current ones to stay. Eventually however, I did end up leaving because the company was not a good enough environment to stay even with the slightly better pay. A lot of my previous coworkers had done the same soon after I had left. This is an example of how the lack of employee aid and pay comes back around to a company.

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Amaris Lozano Herrera
12/9/2021 10:36:59 am

I think that it is really important for employers to thank employees because without them the work would never get done or be possible. If employees are not thanked then they will feel like their work is not appreciated. This can lead to employees feeling like they are just being used to make money, and that their hard work goes unnoticed. Personally thanking employees makes them happier and feel like the company notices the hard work. This leads to employees being happy in their jobs, which leads them to stay longer. They will feel like the company cares about them making them proud to work at their companies. This also makes the family members of the employees happy as well.

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Leah Bryner
12/9/2021 11:05:51 am

I completely agree with the mission of making your employees feel more appreciated. This for sure will encourage your workers to stay more committed and work harder. The last job I worked at did a really good job of making me feel noticed. We had plenty of incentives and rewards for reaching different goals or just going above and beyond. When employers take the time to make their employees feel important, it makes them feel needed and they will most likely stay or give more effort on a day to day basis.

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Elizabeth
9/13/2022 10:56:00 pm

As many companies have become more customer focused, better service, faster speed and demanding more from their employees. Companies have to learn how adapt, to satisfy their employees just as much as they value their customers. While customer's first is a good idealistic view, happy employees makes for a happy life and a successful business. This starts with managers showing their thanks for their employees through simple acts of gratitude along with grand gestures. While I worked at Home Depot over the summer they had many opportunities for their managers and directors to show thanks to their employees. They had many programs and opportunities for management to show thanks to their employees. This led to employee satisfaction and many veteran employees enjoying their work after many years of working there. By the end of the summer I felt encouraged and supported by the company because of the encouragement and thanks I received while working there.

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