Having worked in finance for over ten years, I’ve certainly seen my fair share talented individuals, and managed extremely bright and capable teams. AP professionals are incredibly important to businesses of all sizes; they are the backbone for your organization’s financial health and business continuity. Because of the busy nature of the AP team, however, it’s sometimes difficult to come up for air and acknowledge all of the great work your team members do.
Below are my five tips on how to recognize and appreciate your AP staff:
Offer professional development opportunities
In my experience, AP professionals turnover every two to three years, sometimes due to wanting more challenges. It’s important that your employees understand the career path they want to follow and the steps to develop their career within or outside your company. Perhaps your company already has a professional development program in place that you can cater to your employees. Other options are webinars, conferences, continuing education workshops – there are plenty of ways to offer your staff a chance to add pertinent skills, career advancement pathways, and reasons to breathe new life into their jobs.
Have regular feedback sessions
I enjoy working with solution-focused and proactive people. Having people who can be honest about their or the team’s challenges is also healthy for the work environment. Schedule regular feedback sessions for the whole team or individually, so your employees know how they are making an impact. I find that the best way to challenge people is to keep asking until they can find solutions catered to their situation. I also try to be as much of an active listener as I can. I like to make my team feel heard and understood, even if I can’t always offer a solution. This can also be a time when your team can openly share their feedback to you, as their manager, on how things are going.
Show gratitude company- or team-wide
Knowing you're doing a great job is one thing, bur hearing others say it out loud adds a whole new meaning. Use your company’s internal workspace tool to broadcast employee accomplishments, or post special call-outs on social media. Add your team’s good work to the company newsletter and add photos to a “wall of fame” in the office.
Host team events
To me, team building is about understanding, appreciating, developing, and maximizing the people in your team, and also as a unified group. Schedule an off-site day at a park or have “walking team meetings” to get out of the office. Host a happy hour or volunteer day. Employees who care about each other and who trust each other will, in turn, care more about the company and trust the company more.
Food, food, and more food
When in doubt, offer sustenance. Meals will not only bring your team together and strengthen their interpersonal relationships, it will also give them the feeling of being appreciated (and happily full!). Let each team member pick a place for a catered takeout each week, or have “brown bag meetings” to get everyone together for a working lunch, and provide the refreshments or dessert.
Whichever ritual you implement, know it won’t go unnoticed by your AP team. Sometimes taking a breather from the daily grind to show appreciation and recognition is needed, but never spoken. Even the smallest token of acknowledgment can have the biggest positive effects. Join us for a special roundtable webinar to learn how you can put your AP staff in prime position to prosper – both today and tomorrow. Panelists include the CFOs of ADP, Institute of Management Accountants, and SAP Concur.
Join us for a special roundtable webinar to learn how you can put your AP staff in prime position to prosper – both today and tomorrow. Panelists include the CFOs of ADP, Institute of Management Accountants, and SAP Concur.
