Six ways to celebrate your staff

In the times that we are living through, the same old staff recognition ideas just don’t seem to cut it anymore, so how can you make sure your staff feel valued?

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Finalsite

Celebrate employees on social media

Social media is a great vehicle to show your staff they are valued – never underestimate the power of likes, shares and comments! Seeing those numbers rise, and meaningful comments pour in, can make your team feel like  celebrities, even if just for a little while. 

Give shout-outs in employee newsletters

Schools often limit notes of praise for staff to social media alone. There are many other ways to incorporate appreciation, including your internal employee newsletters. 

Honour staff on your website

Your website is the front door to your school and the one-stop-shop for information. Why not use your most trusted communications’ tool to show staff appreciation as well?

Give out school freebies

Gifting school freebies is a great way to say ‘Thanks’ while also promoting the school brand that you’ve worked hard to develop. This doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult; consider purchasing stickers, pens, notebooks or even socks with your school branding and gifting them to staff as a way to say thanks for a job well done. Some of these items can be purchased for less than a pound per unit and are great to have on hand for other occasions, too!

Recognise them in meetings  

A public thank you can go a long way when it comes to building employee morale. If you don’t already have staff recognitions as part of your school governing body meetings, consider making this a regular feature that both staff and governors can look forward to. It not only allows the opportunity for very public and meaningful recognition, but can also break up the monotony (and sometimes negativity!) of the such meetings.

Send handwritten notes

Digital ways of sharing appreciation are great, but there’s nothing quite like receiving a handwritten thank you note. Taking the time to write a note to a staff member who went above and beyond, or acknowledging them during a staff appreciation day, can often be easier than pulling together a social media campaign or a video, but also more meaningful.

During year three of COVID, school staff are craving recognition more than ever before. To make the biggest impact, try new ways of showing thanks and praise ranging from digital to in-person opportunities.