Recognition drives Retention: When employees feel recognised they feel appreciated, when they feel appreciated they feel happy and their own self worth improves.
Over 80% of employees in recent surveys have stated that recognition is a vital part of their happiness at work and is a key motivator in them working harder and remaining in their jobs longer.
Organisations need to differentiate Praise from Recognition: Praise is generic and is based on boosting self -esteem-motivating in a specific moment. Praise helps teams meet tight deadlines or achieve ambitious goals. This can quickly become demotivating however and feel insincere.
Recognition on the other hand is meaningful and adds value to detailed observations on an employees performance or recent assignment.
It helps employees see how their work contributes to the overall success of their department, role or/and company.
KEY TIPS IN DELIVERING EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
Improve Internal Communication Channels - Does your company have internal systems via the company intranet to drive communication? Podcasts, Group Whatts app, Zooms, work only Instagram or work only Facebook pages, e-newsletters? Incorporating Internal systems such as these drives key company messages, goals, expectations to all employees but also provides meaningful feedback and recognition on great results achieved. Recognition in this way specific to goals achieved across the company is not only motivating but celebrates the success of the individual among his/her peers. This recognition then has a positive snowball effect among the rest of the organisation improving their performance to achieve the same goals and recognition.
One on One Meetings- This is the perfect opportunity to listen to your employees about their progress on tasks or a project but most importantly allows you to provide meaningful feedback and recognition to their work so far and successes. Providing regular recognition via weekly one on one meetings is encouraging and task specific allowing long term success of goals being achieved. It drives better results and helps with employee retention and employee self-worth.
Professional Development- Supporting an employee with professional development is one of the best ways to provide recognition. Whether it be via courses or programs or just via sharing resources with them or providing them with mentoring tips- this all goes a long way in supporting recognition.
Providing Meaningful Feedback- Teams value managers who take the time to evaluate their performance closely and give them constructive feedback. Even if the feedback is not so fabulous-detailed comments about employees performance is recognition in itself. It demonstrates that you value their efforts and that you want to help them improve. It helps them see things from a different perspective and goes a long way in lifting performance and morale.