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There is no rule stating that an employer needs to do more than provide their employees with a place to earn money. However, that is a pretty cynical outlook on how to run a business and there are simple employee recognition ideas that could not only make your employees happier, but encourage them to strive for better performance.

In April 2012, Forbes released a report outlining the impact the happiness of your employees will have on your business. In the report they address the misbelief that if employees are too happy, they become complacent in their work. As proof of their assertion that a happy employee equates to productive business, they referred to a book by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton entitled ALL IN: How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Belief and Drive Big Results. In the book, the authors emphasize the importance of E+E+E, or engaged, enabled, and energized.

But what do they mean by the three E’s? They stress that:

1)     The employee needs to be engaged in the company, they need to be willing and motivated to put in the extra effort at work.

2)     They need to be enabled to perform well and be productive. This could be accomplished through utilizing employee recognition ideas.

3)     Lastly, the employees need to be energized. This means not only providing an exciting work environment, but also making sure that environment promotes drive and employee well-being.

Effectiveness of the three E’s is not asserted- it is proven. From 2009 through 2010, a research firm collected information from 700 different corporations. 25 of those companies had 303,000 or more employees that displayed high performance results. One of those companies was American Express, whose Fort Lauderdale call center was one of the most productive places of business. At this specific location, they hold monthly events aimed at boosting the morale of their employees run by a senior vice president in the company. Having such a high ranking employee of the corporation mingle with the lower level workers adds a sense of pride and accomplishment that could have an invaluable impact on their performance.

Some ways in which you can apply these strategies to your business include:

–          Monthly events that have a specific goal or aim. Make sure it is something that brings all levels of employees together to simply improve the atmosphere and attitudes of the workers.

–          Provide small tokens or gifts when an employee goes above and beyond their described position. This will not only make them feel appreciated for all their hard work, it will push them to continue to exceed expectations in hope of receiving recognition.

–          Plan fun activities, outside of work, employees can get involved in. Anything from an outing once a month to a company softball league can really bring the workers together as a team and promote better productivity in the office.

Mercedes Potter is an elite writer with a few ideas on how to make your employees feel appreciated. As an employee herself, these ideas come from the heart and are a representation of what she receives from her own employer. Follow her @CedesPotter to read other career related posts.