Appreciation, A Little Bit Goes A Long Way

With all of the appreciation holidays approaching, we thought it would be nice to give you some ideas for easy ways to show your appreciation for those who provide your business administrative support. In many ways, they are the unsung heroes of our companies; they keep the wheels turning and the fires burning as some might say. The following are some days that are dedicated to showing love and support for your administrative assistants:

April 24th-Administrative Assistants Day

May 10th- Military Spouse Appreciation Day (if your support happens to also be a military spouse)

May 17th- International Virtual Assistants Day​

We would argue, however, that it is essential to show your appreciation throughout the year. There are many reasons this is important.  For one, it increases morale. It is not a new concept that someone who feels appreciated will work harder and most likely produce more. So hand in hand with your gratitude and appreciation will come productivity.  If you look at some of the strongest large companies in the world, you would find that they show gratitude, respect and appreciation for their employees throughout the year. Larger companies have programs established just for employee appreciation.

Because we realize that many of you are small businesses, there are many ways to show gratitude and appreciation that do not have to break the budget. As you will see from the list below, you can simply say thank you throughout the year.  You can remind them that you notice their efforts. And perhaps even better, you can praise them publicly. If you have social media, you can do a shout out for their efforts if they complete a project on time or went above and beyond what was expected.  Even announcing their work in a company newsletter or a staff meeting is giving praise aloud so others can hear. I promise you this will encourage your whole team to work harder as well.

In addition to praise and gratitude, here are some ways to show appreciation during these upcoming designated days but also throughout the year:

Say the words Thank You

Praise to Others About Them in Public

Take them to lunch or bring them lunch

Give them an afternoon off or an extra day off (This works best if they are an employee because they would still be paid for this time off.  If you have an hourly worker, you could provide them with a monetary bonus.)

Ask for their feedback on company decisions

Let them know how their work has impacted your company

If they are a contractor, send them referrals

Ask what their goals are and discuss how you might help them achieve them. Then do it!

Contribute to their growth. If they are an employee, send them to training. Even if they are a contractor, you can offset training costs.

Any show of gratitude is awesome and will help your business in the long run.  For more tips on running your small business and how a virtual assistant can help your business, go to www.Freedom-Makers.com.