10 Ways to Recognize Employees at the End of Busy Season

A successful firm works hard – really hard – to attract and retain good employees, and one of the primary ways to do this is through recognition. Although the focus of this article is on the end of busy season, a best practice is to show your appreciation throughout the year.

Just as your firm expects your employees to show up daily with a great attitude, ready to think about your clients’ needs and issues, employees expect that same daily effort, or more, in return from you, their employer.

Here are 10 ways to recognize employees for their efforts:

1. Hire enough good people – invest in recruiting.
2. Buy their lunch every day and, if needed, their dinner.
3. Provide top-notch technology and tech support; there is nothing more frustrating than bad equipment and outdated software.
4. Give them good coffee, including leaded and unleaded espresso, lattes, and flavored coffees, and while you’re at it, throw in some assorted teas.
5. Invest in training them and showing them how to do their best work. Provide your team with the knowledge to achieve their objectives.
6. Send warm cookies and milk to teams who are in the field. If team members are not in the office to take advantage of the amenities, deliver the amenities to them!
7. Organize happy hours and games where they can relax, share laughs and show their competitive side.
8. Give them an opportunity to spend time with their families. Give them a lot of time off, or flexible hours to participate in their kids’ or family events.
9. Set goals that are achievable, and give them feedback to help meet those goals, in case they are falling short.
10. Pay them bonuses for achieving their pre-set goals.

We live in a competitive business world, where the goal is to be the best at what we do, the preferred choice, the selected team and the winning team. The search for recognition, and your employees’ desire, are not too different from the same reward and recognition employers strive for when competing for your local or national “Best Firm to Work For” competition, or “WhenWorkWorks Flexible Work Employer” designations.

It is important to be recognized for doing a great job, and in some medium- to large-size firms, something as basic as calling your employees by his or her first name, when you run into them in the hallway, is one great way to let them know how valued they are. Try it!

Editor’s note: Read the ProConnect™ Tax Pro Center article “6 Ways to Keep Top Performers Engaged in the Workplace” for even more tips.