HR Insights

Employee Appreciation Day comes once a year, but that doesn’t mean that employee appreciation should only happen once a year. It should be a regular part of all the other months and weeks throughout the year. This creates a company culture of appreciation, and when this type of culture is in place the benefits last all year long. Let’s dive into the top 5 reasons employee appreciation matters all year long.

Employee Appreciation Day is on March 2^nd this year. Missed it? No worries. Don’t let a calendar limit you from creating a day to celebrate your employees.

When creating a wellness program at your company, your wellness team members are of critical importance to the program’s success. The responsibility of running the wellness program cannot fall exclusively to the HR department. You need a dream team!

Do you aspire to begin a wellness program at your organization? Or do you already have one, but are having trouble keeping it afloat? Nearly 60% of employees with access to a corporate wellness program say that the wellness initiative has made a positive impact on their health and well-being, but there is still room for improvement. If you want to reap the maximum benefits of having a wellness program at your company, there are a few crucial barriers to success that you need to be aware of. Rise above these common barriers by reading the following tips for success.

While some may view integrating wellness programs into your company culture as a less than impactful endeavor, research shows otherwise. Behavior modification takes time and is different from person to person. It is possible, when reinforced consistently with different programs, multiple touch points, strong leadership, and an unwavering commitment. Wellness programs provide concrete benefits to your employees and your company. Here are five compelling reasons why wellness should be a top priority in your company culture.

The start of a new year brings a sense of optimism. It’s a chance to start fresh and grow in new ways from what you did last year. With most American workers spending 40 hours or more per week at their jobs, the workplace is a great place to jumpstart wellness initiatives that will help your employees at work and beyond. Here is a list of ideas for workplace wellness themes you could have for each month of 2018, complete with event and challenge ideas.

If you don’t have a recognition program in place, the new year is a perfect time to start one. While some management staff, or even HR professionals, dismiss recognition and reward programs as merely "feel good" activities, evidence suggests a strong link exists between such programs and improved job performance. A salary alone does not show appreciation. In terms of showing appreciation, a salary covers physical needs, but giving praise through a rewards program goes further to provide for the psychological needs of your employees. According to a Globoforce study, “The number one reason most Americans leave their jobs is that they don’t feel appreciated.” Employees who feel appreciated will have better morale, and therefore, better results at work.

It’s hard to believe that 2017 is already coming to a close and what a year it’s been! On the blog, we’ve discussed a wide variety of the most important trending topics in HR. From organizational culture, to self-funded insurance options, employee engagement, and recruitment strategies there has been a lot of information covered. So, this week, I thought I would synthesize this information into some of the big ideas you should remember and bring with you into the new year:

It’s no surprise that employees rank employee development as one of their top priorities, but do employers do the same? The research suggests not. Randstad, a global staffing firm, conducted a study that revealed 73 percent of employers said fostering employee development is important, but only 49 percent of employees said leadership is adhering to this practice. In a similar fashion, Deloitte conducted a survey in 2012 with some strong results. When employees were asked to indicate the top factors that would cause them to look for new employment over the next 12 months, lack of career progress topped the list, whereas lack of challenge in the job came in at No. 5. These results showcase the importance of having clear career plans for your employees. How does your company rank with this? Inevitably, there may be some gaps to fill in your employee career development process, so read on.

Do you want your company culture to transition from one of competition to one of collaboration? You can accomplish this when you create a culture of continuous learning at your company. While employee growth and learning opportunities may seem like an extracurricular offering, in this day and age, they are essential for your company. Developing a learning culture is no longer just another fanciful idea. It is becoming more imperative for companies to cultivate learning if they wish to stay in business. A learning culture keeps your organization competitive. But how do you create this culture of continuous learning at your company? I’ve created a basic framework of key elements you need to have in place in order to have a culture of learning at your company.