Our employees are our most valuable asset – that is only proving to be more true during The Great Resignation as the need for employee retention grows. Employees find themselves seeking more than salary and benefits but recognition. It is time that employers understand the importance of recognition and what it means for the employee and employer.
If you want to bridge the recognition gap in the workplace, your best option is to offer a program that lets employees know they will be recognized for doing a great job and are appreciated for their efforts. This begins with either revamping the current recognition system you have in place or generating a brand new one if it does not exist.
Why Does Employee Recognition Matter?
Recognition is a positive force in all aspects of our lives. From childhood through early jobs, being recognized and praised with rewards has been a motivation to continue working and operating in that fashion. When you show your employees recognition, your business will thrive in all areas. Employee recognition is directly related to employee satisfaction and the desire to do more when necessary.
To be as successful as possible, you want to keep your ace employees on staff at all times. The most talented employees will seek the best working environments, which means more than salary. An environment where they are recognized and feel as though they are appreciated regularly can help you retain the best talent in your company.
Failing to emphasize employee recognition could lead to high employee turnover. This means that too many employees are leaving due to undesired working conditions, especially when it happens across various departments. A high turnover means constantly training new employees, which prevents personal and company growth from the need to keep starting over.
The ROI of Employee Recognition
Your return on investment (ROI) regarding employee recognition will amplify significantly once you put a recognition system in place that is active and utilized regularly. Employees will begin showing their gratitude at a higher level and performing at a much higher level, thus improving the ROI of employee recognition.
What Defines an Effective Recognition Program?
Not all recognition programs are practical; some do not invoke enough motivation to make employees feel appreciated. A small token of recognition personalized to that employee will stimulate more motivation.
5 Ways to Bridge the Recognition Gap
To bridge the recognition gap and improve your ROI of employee recognition, there are a few things you need to keep in mind when you are building the program. When you follow these tips and are intentional about your program, you are working to bridge the unwanted gap in employee recognition.
Be Detailed and Specific
Any time there is a recognition program put in place for employees, the details of the recognition, rewards, and terms must be explicitly outlined. Employees need to know what they are being recognized for and what will get them recognized, so they are motivated to meet these goals and perform at their strongest.
Be Prompt
If you are establishing your recognition program and have a deadline, make sure you announce the recipients promptly and do not delay. By putting this announcement off, you could encourage anxiety among your employees and give them the impression that you are not motivated as the employer to keep up with and maintain the recognition program.
Tie to Company Values
As a company, you have established missions, values, and goals that are posted for your employees to see and uphold. When you instill recognition among your employees, you need to ensure that this is because they, too, are meeting the requirements and values of the company. Recognizing the behavior and performance of employees who do not adhere to the values could discourage your other employees and cause poor feelings regarding their workplace.
Elevate Across the Organization
As an employer, you must ensure that recognition goes across the company. Everyone from financial officers to junior staff needs to be recognized and have the opportunity for recognition in that program. The same types of rewards and benefits that come with recognition should be shared. Otherwise, there is an appearance of favoritism. This can cause a riff in your organization, with some departments feeling slighted and less worthy than others.
Recognize Both Big and Small Things
Small accomplishments and big accomplishments are both motivators for your employers. Taking notice that small accomplishments are coming from your employees will let them know you see them and will encourage them to strive for larger accomplishments. For example, new employees taking on new tasks and being successful on their first sale or process should be acknowledged.
10 Examples of a Proper Recognition Program
You can take advantage of several different recognition programs in your company that can go a long with recognition and retention.
- Give a Thank You Meal
When your team, in general, has done a great job, accomplished a company-wide goal, or made it through a stressful period, a good thank you lunch is highly appreciated. Invite the team for lunch at a popular restaurant, or have it catered in the office so everyone can enjoy the meal together. You must close the office during this time so that everyone can enjoy the meal collectively, giving a full sense of appreciation. - Give Extra Breaks and Comp Time
Extra breaks are a great reward to prevent burnout. This is especially true when you have to ask your employees to work outside of their normal hours or have all hands on deck in one area due to high volume. When you expect them to work extra without an incentive, it will push burnout in the office and a sense of rejection. With comp time or extra breaks, they see this as an incentive to volunteer and jump in to help where necessary. Or, giving employees the afternoon off going into a holiday weekend or the day before a holiday, showing them that you recognize their hard work and want to appreciate them for their time and dedication. - Hold a Reward Ceremony
What better way to reward your employees than with actual awards? This can mean rewards for top performers or you can get creative with rewards that recognize each employee’s strengths – “Most Likely to Be the First at the Office”, “Always Lends a Helping Hand”, “Top Seller” – or whatever makes your employees stand out! - Take a Walk
Sitting inside an office and seeing the beautiful outdoors every day without being able to enjoy a good walk now and then can be counterproductive. Allow your employees to take a walk outside for fresh air around the campus or down the block to the local park. This gives them a chance to benefit their health and clear their minds while allowing you to be considerate of their physical and emotional health. - Take a Nap
Being able to take a few minutes in a dark space, rest, and get a small power nap can make all the difference in someone’s performance. If you have the ability, set aside a place with small couches where your employees can go and relax for 15 to 20 minutes. Even if they do not take a nap, they have a few minutes away from their desk to reset and come back recharged. - Gift an Experience
Monetary rewards are great, but an experience can offer memories that last a lifetime. Run a contest for tickets to a concert or sporting event. Take the team on a field trip to an adventure park. When it comes to using experiences to show employee appreciation, the possibilities are endless. - Peer Recognition Programs
A compliment from your coworker can go a long way, especially because they’re the ones working together day-to-day, and they may notice certain efforts that a manager or supervisor might miss. Make it easy for your team to shout out and reward each other for a job well done with a peer recognition platform that integrates with the communication tools you already use. - Make a Big Deal Out of Birthdays
Celebrate employees with cake or their favorite treat on their birthday to make them feel special and recognized. Take 15 minutes and allow the team to come together in a designated area for the goodies as an afternoon pickup and socialize for a few minutes. - Gift Cards and Small Trinkets
Whether you give these gifts on birthdays, holidays, or randomly throughout the year, leaving a small gift card to their favorite restaurant or store shows that you are paying attention to what they like, where they visit, and that you recognize their hard work. - Offer Flexible Working Conditions
Many of your employees will find this beneficial if your company can provide remote positions. Employees working harder to avoid the morning commute and rising fuel costs several days a week can be repaid by showing how productive they can be away from the office. This is a benefit that is becoming as increasingly important as insurance, salaries, and raises.
Conclusion
Being able to close that recognition gap in your workplace is directly related to the atmosphere and productivity of your employees. You can also retain your best talent when you regularly recognize their efforts and skills. The value of recognition is just as critical for employees as benefits and salaries, and that is something that many employers are starting to realize.
At Refresh, we offer a wide array of solutions that make your employees feel appreciated and help close the employee recognition gap. To learn more, contact us today.