You don’t need to be told of the important role your staff plays at your co-op. Showing gratitude to employees is a year-round focus and, given the current climate, now is no exception. During these unprecedented times, showing employees that they matter and recognizing the vital work they do is not only crucial to their sense of wellbeing, but also provides a deepened sense of support while they continue to do essential work for their communities.

There are many ways to spread the positivity that is still present in our everyday lives. Through NCG’s partnership with our vendor, SMG, and the Customer Experience (CX) Survey, program participants have access to a real-time customer feedback feature called Celebration Alerts that allow survey respondents to leave a shout out for a specific employee after a positive shopping experience.

To help provide some guidance on how to best recognize employees, here are a few ways to acknowledge those who receive positive customer feedback, whether it was provided through the CX Survey or in the store during the course of a day’s business:

Thank them for their focus on the customer experience in person. Make every effort to acknowledge the employee in person and be specific about the actions that contributed to the positive recognition.

Ask them how they would like to be recognized. If they would appreciate public recognition, consider printing and posting the celebration alert for other staff to read.

Document recognition. Documented positive recognition is great to include in the staff person’s next performance review.

In addition to the ways to recognize employees, consider an added step to make the experience more meaningful for employees. There are a variety of ways to say thanks — consider the approach that is right for your co-op and apply it consistently:

• Award gift cards
• Enter employees into a drawing for a chance to win prizes
• Wall of fame — rotating Employee of the Month
• Have an Employee Appreciation Day at your co-op — you can recognize all employees at that time
• Peer-to-peer recognition — give opportunities for peers to recognize one another

Sharing positive feedback from shoppers is always uplifting but especially in tumultuous times. Here are a few customers sharing their appreciation of staff and taking note of our continued efforts.

“Thank you for taking such amazing care of my family and our community on a regular basis and even more so during COVID. I feel so safe and worry-free shopping at the co-op. Every extra effort you take is noticed, thank you. Sending so much love to all of your staff!”

“I’m impressed with the continued patience and friendliness of the staff in the midst of this chaos of the world at the moment. Thank you for remaining a wonderful place to shop.”

If you would like to share your own co-op’s positive customer comments with your staff, visit the CX Survey Program resource page on ncg.coop and select the Thank You Poster template where you can insert the great feedback your customers are giving to you. Your team will love hearing the praise!

The ways in which you choose to recognize the accomplishments of your staff can be motivational and leave a lasting impact. Navigating our new reality can be difficult, but showing gratitude, acceptance and support can go a long way.