It's great to be in charge of an up-and-coming start-up. Everything's working to plan. Deadlines have been met. And orders have been rolling in. Best of all, however, would be seeing the glint of excitement and detemination in the eyes of your employees.

While working at a small firm, employees put in quite a bit of excess work than they otherwise would. They have to fill in a few extra boots – take up more responsibilities, and play more functional roles. They have to learn and apply new skills to meet expectations. And they have to keep there heads up when things aren't going that great. After all, even they do realize that they don't have a safety net a bigger corporation would provide.

At times, especially when things work out well, you stop noticing the vehicles parked in your car park till 8 in the night. The whole euphoria of living your dream makes you miss the very real sacrifices your teammates and employees make every day. You begin to take their enthusiasm and devotion for granted. Instead of acknowledging their hard work, you begin to take it to be the norm. Sooner rather than later, you will find them to be bored, indifferent and unmotivated – looking for a chance to make a move when a better offer comes their way.

Striving entreprenuers often complain about the effects of attrition on their budding business. Yet, most of them do not invest enough time or effort in maintaining their workforce. When employees join a small company, they do so for several reasons. It helps them flex themselves, test their skills in innovative manners, and try out new roles and responsibilities. They will certainly put in that extra bit of work, in lieu of the sense of satisfaction they derive from the company's growth. But more than anything else, they hope to enter a close-knit team where their efforts and sacrifices are valued, respected and rewarded.

So how can you make sure your employees feel compensated for the work they put in? You needn't even go overboard and indulge in expenses your company can't afford. A few kind gestures might do a world of good.

• Put in a few words of appreciation whenever they put in extra work.

• Personally help them out on difficult projects.

• Avoid slacking off at your end.

• Make your workspace more comfortable and relaxing.

• Allow flexible working hours, and work-from-home opportunities (twice a week).

• If someone stays back late, offer to buy them dinner.

• If someone is forced to stay late for extended periods of time, consider a revision of title, compensation or benefits.

• Offer quarterly or half-yearly bonuses depending on performance of your company.

• Give out redeemable coupons, vouchers, etc on special ocassions.

• Host informal parties and events to build team spirit.