Introduction 

No matter what kind of business you have, if you have employees, the topic of employee retention is going to come up. However, this is even more crucial when working with offshore contractors or employees. There are many ways to improve employee retention, but when it comes to working with offshore employees, one of the biggest things you can do is celebrate work anniversaries and birthdays!

Why is it so important? 

Offshore employees often feel disconnected from their Co-workers and workplace. That is partially due to the physical distance between them and their team. They are not going to the office daily like their counterparts, which can sometimes create a kind of dissonance between the team. However, even if all or most employees in a company work online or virtually, they can still feel isolated due to cultural or social differences. Therefore, ensuring an offshore employee feels valued, recognized, and part of the team is crucial to employee retention. 

What does recognizing important dates accomplish? 

This type of recognition can help with employee retention, but that's not all this accomplishes. Many positive things can come from remembering and celebrating important dates. We have broken it down into three major categories to highlight some of the benefits of this type of recognition. 

1.  It motivates people

When people can see the effort and care you put into them, they are more likely to reciprocate that effort and care by putting it into their work. When you give your employees the best you have to offer, they want to give their best back. This leads to a team of people who are motivated and dedicated to their work. 

2.  It creates a positive work environment. 

One of the top ways to get employees to stay onboard?

Make your company a place people like to be. When a workplace environment is uplifting and focuses on employees, people are more likely to want to stay with a company. Recognizing important dates is one of the ways companies can create a work environment that people enjoy being a part of. 

3.  It creates connection and instills loyalty. 

Creating a connection and a relationship with offshore employees is a big part of retention. If offshore team members feel dismissed, overlooked, or excluded, they won't want to keep working with you. Creating connections with these team members is a way to offset some of the challenges tied to working offshore. Connection is what leads to loyalty, and it's not one-sided. An employee will not be committed to you without any commitment back. Dedication to celebrating certain milestones is how you visibly show your loyalty to your employees, which in turn, helps retention rates. 

How to Do It 

Setting a reminder and calendar notification on these special days is one thing, but recognizing and celebrating an employee is something else entirely. Employees often evaluate their tenure at a company around these dates, so a message of congratulations might not be enough. Here are three tips that can help with this process. 

1.  Know the date

Celebrating the actual date of the anniversary is vital. If it's not possible to celebrate on the exact day, you need to ensure that you are celebrating early. When you celebrate in the days or weeks after the date has passed it can make the congratulations seem like an afterthought, which can come off as insincere and dampen the celebration for the employee. 

2.  Do something public  

A private message of congratulations is nice, but it's much better to have some type of public recognition. This can be as simple as sending the message in a team or company chat. Doing this allows other people to get involved. Co-workers are enabled to send their congratulations and accolades. This creates a sense of community for offshore workers. Public acknowledgment shows pride in an employee, which goes a long way. 

3.  Send a gift 

While any kind of recognition or celebration is a good step, sending a gift shows significantly more appreciation and dedication to an employee. One idea is to send company merch on work anniversaries. This can instill a sense of belonging for people working offshore. Not only does it allow people to feel more a part of the company, but it can create a sense of pride in their work as they wear or have the company logo with them. This way offshore team members can more naturally share the aspects of their work life with their family and friends. A big gift isn't necessary for every important date, but one being sent on certain milestones can go a long way in creating positive relationships. 

Conclusion

Cultivating a positive work experience for your offshore employee, like any employee, will heighten retention rates. Focusing and remembering the important days for your employees is a way for you to share your appreciation, but more importantly, it creates belonging. No one enjoys the feeling of exclusion or isolation. When you can make an offshore employee see that they are wanted, valued, and belong they are more likely to stay with a company.