Showing Thankfulness Creates a Family Atmosphere

By Tom Grandy, Founder of Grandy & Associates

Thanksgiving is a time to gather, fellowship and think about the many blessings we have all experienced.  Shared blessings tend to build and strengthen family relationships.  The same principles apply to our businesses.  Showing your employees that you appreciate them is a great way to create a culture of thankfulness and family.

Think about the last time you thanked an employee for a job well done.  A verbal thank you is helpful and encouraging, but a physical thank you will be remembered for a very long time.  Everyone wants to be recognized as having done a good job.  Below are a few practical suggestions you might want to consider.

  • Drop by the job site – Every once in a while, randomly drop by a job site and drop off doughnuts or coffee. Thank the crew for having done a great job.
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  • Lunch at the office – Consider providing free lunch at the office every once in a while. It can include the techs or not.
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  •  Gift Cards – Place a $10 Starbucks card in the employee’s paycheck with a sticky note that says, “Thanks for doing a great job.” Any kind of gift card will do.
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  •  Summer Picnic or Ball Game Tickets – Maybe once a year sponsor an event for the entire company. Picnics are fun or perhaps take everyone to a ball game or local event.
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  •  Gift Card/Letter for Exceptional Service – When a tech is called out at night for a repair, show your appreciation. Send a note to the spouse telling them what a great job John did the other night a 2:00 AM.  Emphasize your appreciation for John’s work ethic and include a gift card for a local restaurant.
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  •  Sticky Note – “Catch” an employee doing something over and above board. Place a handwritten sticky note where they will see it saying something like “Thanks for sweeping the back area, for cleaning up the shop, or perhaps for helping Bill or William yesterday.”  You are appreciated.
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  •  Paid Time Off – When a technician has worked a lot of overtime you may want to consider allowing the tech to take a “FREE” day off with pay. Let them pick the day!
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  •  Take an Employee to Lunch or Breakfast – This is a great way to say thank you, build relationships, and find out a bit more about their life.
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  •  Gift Certificate for an Employee’s Child Excelling – If you find out one of your employee’s children has excelled in a sport, or academically, send the family a note congratulating them along with a gift card to a local restaurant.
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  •  Employee Recognition – Everyone likes to be recognized as having done a great job, especially in front of their peers. Perhaps during a weekly service meeting have John explain to the group how well he handled a customer complaint, trouble shot a tough job, or was able to encourage a customer to upgrade their equipment.

 

Make it a point to intentionally thank one of more of your employees each week.  You may even want to put a note on your desk or a reminder in your phone.  Appreciating employees (office and field) in a physical way will be remembered for a long time.  Make it part of your company culture.

Do you have aging parents that you are responsible for?  If so, now is the time to record information like; Do they have a will?  Where is it?  Are the vehicles paid off and where are the titles?  What banks or investment companies do they work with?  One day you will need all this information and more to close out their estate.

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