1 Barclay, Allen. “Economic Organization Culture.” Journal of Management Research 2.1 (2010). Web.

Across all cultures, preparing food and sharing a meal encourages bonding and indicates care for one another. Nurture harried employees and start the morning off right by organizing a breakfast potluck of bagels, donuts, or fresh coffee once a week. If you’re up to it, baking treats is also a great way to show you value your employees enough to spend time and effort on their behalf. Or buy their favorites – it acknowledges their preferences and individuality. (Ok, this option costs a little, but sometimes store-bought cookies are better than burnt homemade cookies!)

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The opportunity to participate in tasks outside a job description can awaken an employee’s interest and drive to succeed. Invite an employee to sit in on an important meeting and provide you with feedback afterwards. Or set up committees so employees from different departments can work together and share ideas and skills. Give your employees changes to their daily routines and the recognition that they have more to offer.

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Of course, there’s a limit. But knowing your employees’ extracurricular interests, family stressors, and non-work goals can offer valuable insight into untapped skills. Employees who receive a little extra leeway at times of high personal stress are more able to focus when at work and more likely to feel positively about their jobs. The more you get to know someone, the more comfortable they are around you, ultimately creating a better work environment.

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Very often, we demand rigid schedules from our employees because that’s the way it’s always been done. But what if your employee is not a morning person? Is it really crucial to have him in the office at 9am if he is most productive from 5-7pm? Employees often don’t take all the vacation time allotted in their benets package. Help them take this much-needed break while maximizing productivity by providing a checklist that ensures all contingencies will be covered while they’re away. Recognition of employees’ schedules is a powerful sign of respect.

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Put your company’s blog, Tweets, and Facebook status to good use by recognizing outstanding employee accomplishments and milestones. The beauty of these forums is that their tone is often warmer and more personal than traditional business correspondence - and employees can easily share their recognition with friends and family. You’ll quickly let your employees and followers know how much you value the efforts of your team.

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Showing appreciation to employees is often easy to overlook during the busy work day. In a recent survey conducted by Globoforce and SHRM, companies with employee recognition programs experience a 63% boost in employee productivity and a 61% increase in employee engagement. And according to Allen Barclay in his article in the Journal of Management Research , “you cannot create... a solid return on investment without the proper employees in place.” Barclay goes on to conclude that “organizations must place an emphasis on how they currently treat their employees.” Clearly, employers ignore this aspect of employee relations to their own detriment.

SoSo how do you keep your company from becoming a casualty of low employee morale and high turnover? The great news is that employee recognition doesn’t need to decimate the budget. Here are our ve favorite ways to show that you truly do value your employees and the skills they bring to your team each and every day...

5 Cost-Free Ways to Show Employee Appreciation

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