3 Ways to tell your employees you love them (without being weird)

When an employee does a good job, it's only natural that you want to show your appreciation. But it's important to be careful about how you express yourself. You can't go up to an employee and say something like, "Oh wow! You did such a great job on this project. I love you so much!" and give him or her a hug. You need to tone it down — a lot. Avoid a potentially awkward situation by using one of our one of our suggestions to let your employees know how much you appreciate them.

Take Your Employees to Lunch

Everyone loves food. So why not take your employees to lunch as a sign of appreciation? If an employee does a good job on a special project, reward him or her with lunch — just make sure you listen more than you talk so he or she can tell you really care.

Do you have a team that's been exceeded expectations lately? Take them out to lunch. It's a great way to get out of the office and bond with other team members in a more casual atmosphere.

Celebrate Small Accomplishments

If you only celebrate the big accomplishments, your employees might not realize just how much the job they do matters. Consider sending monthly recap emails that feature all of the good things that happened within your company the previous month — make sure to do a shout out to anyone who has done an above-average job. If you have the time, consider having a small celebration for employees. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant. You could simply have a small lunch buffet on-site or have a sundae bar after normal lunch hours — you provide the ice cream and toppings and your employees can decide what type of sundae they want.

Start an Employee of the Month Program

Implement an Employee of the Month program that rewards exceptional work. Let your employees nominate each other for the award. Then, make an announcement at the beginning of the month telling everyone who gets the honor of being Employee of the Month. Be sure to include a reward with your announcement. A gift card or small plaque would work well.

Remember, you don't have to have some elaborate celebration to show your employees how much you care. If done consistently, little signs of appreciation go a long way.