Praising Employees the Right Way

Ask any entrepreneur, whether they're an international business owner like Alexander F Bouri or they own a small Laundromat down the street, they'll say how important it is to treat your employees well.  Making sure that your employees feel like a needed and valuable part of your company is important.  It's good for employee morale, it motivates them to keep working hard, and it lets them know that you've taken notice of their hard work.   Some people say that there's no wrong way to give praise, but when you're in a professional setting things can get a little tricky.  Praising is always helpful, but there are some ways you can make sure that your complements are heard and taken seriously.

Avoid Generic Compliments

"Your work here is valuable"

"You're a hard worker"

Those two compliments may sound nice, but they're very vague about what the person being complimented has done to deserve praise.  When you're complimenting an employee you should directly mention what they did so that they know what you're happy with.  "The overtime hours you worked to finish the Johnson project really showed me what a hard worker you are", sounds a lot better than just saying that someone worked hard.

Recognize Important Events

Did your employee reach their one year anniversary of working with the company?  Do you know if today is the day that an employee will be finishing an important project?  It's important to recognize important events in the work place; it shows that you're very aware of current happenings and that you want to acknowledge your employee's hard work and determination.

Include Other Employees

If an employee recently did something that deserves recognition, let your other employees know.  Send out a company e-mail that highlights the good things an employee has done, or call a brief meeting with your department to talk about the exceptional work an employee has done.  Letting all of your employees know about important achievements creates a close work environment that employees feel comfortable working in.