Find Nice Things to Say to Employees — It’s Worth It
No surprise we love the idea of “Say Something Nice Day,” which is coming up next Friday, June 1. But there’s one surefire way to improve on it in your workplace: Find nice things to say to employees every day — and use Say Something Nice Day as an annual reminder to recommit to that goal.
Research has found that workplaces cultures improve when managers take the time to look for nice things to say to employees. One Gallup study reported that regular verbal recognition and praise results in employees who are:
- More productive
- More engaged with colleagues
- More loyal to their employers
- Better at serving customers
- Safer on the job
In other words, just spending a few minutes every day makes employees feel valued and is GREAT for the health of your business!
What’s the Best Way to Say Something Nice?
Complimenting someone is easy enough. Indeed offers a list of 75 nice things to say to employees and co-workers to convey appreciation, gratitude, and encouragement. Not every phrase will apply to every workplace or situation, but what’s important to note is that effective compliments are specific and highlight how the recipient has made a concrete positive difference for their manager or colleagues.
Truly offering a meaningful compliment takes a bit more effort, though. The Art of Manliness blog does a good job of laying out the process. Here are the basics:
- Use the person’s name.
- Be specific about what you’re praising them for — where and when it happened, and why it merits praise.
- Be sincere. Don’t flatter or offer compliments for work that doesn’t deserve it in your eyes; the recipient will see through that.
And then, to really kick it up a notch, try this:
Before you voice your positive comments, stop and ask yourself “What is the positive character trait that must exist inside that person for them to have exhibited this behavior?” …
A positive character trait can be anything from honesty to compassion, from hard-working to having a positive attitude, from being customer focused to being a team player.
Once you have identified the positive character trait that brought about the positive behavior that you witnessed, you add that character trait to the end of your praise:
“Hey Jim, I was really impressed with you yesterday — I noticed at three o’clock you had that huge stack of orders to handle, and when I was back at four you had finished all of them. That was some great work — you were really focused. I like being on the team with somebody who has your kind of focus.”
As the blog notes, when you compliment someone this way, “if you have done everything right, if you have been observant, if you are right with the details, if you are sincere, then what you are doing is providing them a glimpse of their best self through your eyes.”
That’s no small thing!
Start thinking today about nice things to say to employees and what you’re going to say to yours on Say Something Nice Day — and all the days after. And if you’re looking to bolster your compliments with a gift, keep gThankYou’s variety of Gift Certificates in mind!
Make “Say Something Nice Day” Every Day!
Nurture a “Say Something Nice Day” culture that employees will love and will improve your business with gThankYou’s FREE “Day-to-Day Employee Celebration Calendar”. It’s the ultimate resource to keep employee appreciation activities top-of-mind and inspired year-round.
The gThankYou annual calendar is jam-packed with insights into the latest HR trends, how-to tutorials for engaging and thanking employees, case studies to inspire you, examples of holidays to celebrate each month, and research statistics to help you make the business case for appreciation.
Download yours FREE now and start today!
Learn More About gThankYou Certificates and Vouchers:
- Check out our Home Page
- See all our Gift Certificate Choices
- Learn more About gThankYou and FAQs
- See our FREE customizable Gratitude cards
- Reach us at 888-484-1658 or via info@gthankyou.com
