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The relationship between managers and their direct reports has undergone severe stress testing over the past two years. Unfortunately, most managers have received little or no training in people management – let alone in remote people management.

Unfortunately, one of the consequences of remote work is that people feel a loss
of connection. Although scheduled Zoom meetings and weekly touch-base calls are routine, there are often fewer opportunities for personal interaction between managers and employees in a virtual work environment.

Employee Appreciation Day originated more than 25 years ago. Its founder, Dr. Bob Nelson, created it to help managers acknowledge their employees and show them how valued they are at least once a year. After being celebrated for more than two decades in the workplace, the real question is, should Employee Appreciation Day be much different than any other day?

There are several ways to determine a budget for incentive and recognition programs. As employers realize that one program does not fit all, many are moving toward the trend of budgeting per program. Different “sub-audiences” in the employee population need to be acknowledged and rewarded for different results with different rule structures.

In today’s workforce, employees have greater autonomy and influence over business outcomes than ever before. The reason? Technology has changed the way we work. Interconnectedness means that organizations rely less on hierarchical structures in favor of greater collaboration. As a result, the behaviors of individuals and the ability to influence them becomes central to every organization’s success, including a dedicated strategy for encouraging and reinforcing those behaviors.