How to improve employee recognition in an organization?

Perhaps at some point in your professional life, you have been in an organization where you have gone the extra mile continuously, but you didn’t even receive a thumb up. If that has happened to you, you probably didn’t work there for long. If that situation was important for you, people in your company surely feel the same way. Do we have to wait until employees start leaving to think about improving employee recognition? 

Companies have to take the lead and recognize actively the good work of employees.  At the end of the day, their effort is the driving force that moves the organization closer to its goals. At T2W we have an extensive experience in talent management and Human Resources, so we are familiar with this initiative. In this article, we’ll check actions that will help you recognize the effort employees put in their work. 

Why is employee recognition so important? 

For many organizations, the effort and dedication employees put in their work is something they take for granted and they don’t think it’s necessary to acknowledge it. That is a mistake. It’s estimated that only about 15% of workers in the world is actually engaged with their job. As a consequence, motivation suffers, which reflects in a low employee performance. That compromises company results. Even worst, an unmotivated worker is more likely to resign. 

As you can see, employee recognition not only has a direct influence over employee morale and engagement, but it also affects company performance and increases the turnover rate. However, even today there are companies that skip any suggestion regarding recognition. This is because some people think that the success of employee recognition actions is linked to a strong financial investment. There are different ways to recognize employee’s effort and not all of them require money. 

The right way to recognize employees 

It’s necessary to implement recognition actions in ways workers really appreciate. Remember that not all employees want to be recognized the same way. Some people prefer financial benefits, while other prioritize actions focused on employee wellness. Likewise, you’ll find people who want to be recognize by the whole organization, while other prefer a more private recognition method. This is why it’s so important to have different methods to recognize people in the company. Finally, keep always in mind that the key aspect for a good employee recognition action is empathy. 

1. Professional development as recognition 

Today most professionals prioritize career development, this is especially true with age groups such as Millenials and Centennials. With that in mind, the best you can do to recognize their efforts at work is to help them take their career to the next level. Training, seminars and other similar learning opportunities are very important for modern professionals. Likewise, promotions are a great way to reward the good work sustained over time. The best part is that these actions don’t require a huge money investment.  

2. Free time as recognition 

While today most professionals value career development, some other people prefer finding balance between professional and personal life. In those cases, one of the best actions you can implement is offering free time as a way to recognize good work. When you’ve just had a very demanding season, offering one or two additional days-off could be the perfect way to recognize and reward the effort. Of course, as we previously mentioned, recognition methods must change according to employee’s preferences.  

3. Recognition as an internal policy 

You need to stablish recognition as a policy that not only works vertically, but also horizontally. In general, it not only should come from supervisors, bosses and management positions, but also from coworkers. More often than not, receiving a sign of appreciation from somebody you work with daily it’s more effective. That can be applied in many ways. For example, some organizations choose to create employee of the month programs and let coworkers themselves to nominate people. Other companies go with a more simple approach and encourage employees to express their acknowledgement with cards and messages from coworkers.  

4. Request feedback frequently 

Finally, you need to keep in mind that recognition methods will change inevitably as time goes by. The contexts each organization experiences as well as new trends in the world create new ways to recognize employees. For this reason, it’s not only important to be aware of the actions implemented by other organizations, but also requesting feedback frequently. Your employees are the ones who will recommend the most effective methods. They can also recommend possible changes in the recognition actions you have implemented in order to optimize them and to offer something that really resonates with them. 

As you can see, recognition in the workplace is an important aspect for modern organizations. These actions will help you create a recognition program that really resonates with people.  

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.