What is an employee recognition program?

When you are at work, how often are you shown appreciation for your effort? While the economic salary is the necessary retribution for the work done, recognition can have a very positive effect on people and the organization. In the current working world, which is increasingly competitive, this can be a factor that makes an organization stand out over the rest. 

This is one of the reasons why the area of Human Resources always has to promote recognition at all levels of the organization. Do you know what is an employee recognition program? At T2W we are experts on Human Resources management, so we can help you. Here we take a look at these programs, their importance and their benefits. 

Importance of recognition at work 

All human beings have the need of being acknowledged. That is clearly exemplified by the famous Maslow Pyramid, which describes the order of human needs. Through this, we can see that feeling valued and respected is important for any person. This can happen on every context of human relations such as, for example, at work. 

In fact, the workplace plays a very important role for human beings. The average person spends about 8 to 9 hours every day at work. Therefore, the actions we make in than environment and the people we are surrounded by become a very important part of our lives. This is why being acknowledged at works turns out to be so important. 

What are employee recognition programs? 

This is an initiative promoted by the organization which aims to appreciate and highlight good performance made by an employee or a team. Keep in mind that this recognition has to be public and visible for all the people in the company. This way, the employee feels appreciated by the organization and respected by the coworkers. 

In general, employee recognition must be more than just a couple of encouraging words every once in a while. This is where employee recognition programs enter the picture. These must be strategic plans carefully created to meet a specific objective. 

Employee recognition programs must be created in line with the goals and objectives of the company. This way it’s easier to know what actions deserve recognition and the best way to provide it. Therefore, this has to be the result of performance, actions or initiatives that move the organization closer to its goals. 

When it comes to employee recognition, it can take two forms, economic rewards and non-economic rewards. While it is possible to just make a public acknowledgement of the performance at the workplace, it’s best if it has a tangible effect beyond a simple gesture. 

For that reason, to create the program you have to develop a strategy that includes its objectives as well as the budget assigned for this initiative. Once these variables are identified and set, it gets easier to define the way employees will be recognized. It can take the form of bonuses, consumption receipts, access to study grants, free days, etc. 

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Objectives of an employee recognition program 

We must have clear that an employee recognition program focuses on meeting two specific objectives: the first one is focused on people and the second one focused on the organization. The objective focused on people aims to increase the wellbeing of employees. Their effort is recognized so that they can feel more comfortable at work. 

Employee satisfaction at work is not a minor thing. A worker who feels comfortable inside the company is less likely to leave. This way, the organization retains the best professionals and the turnover rate falls. This is why it is so important to have employee wellness programs. 

The second objective is focused on the company. As we previously mentioned, every recognition program acknowledges employee’s efforts as a way to reinforce the actions that are beneficial for the company. As a consequence, you motivate people to keep working to achieve the company’s goals. 

Additionally, since the work recognition program helps employees to feel valued and respected inside the organization, the self-esteem and motivation increases. This is one of the best catalyzers for good employee performance and the overall company productivity.  

We have seen employee recognition programs, their importance and objectives. Do you have one of these programs in your organization? As you can see, implementing one can give you positive results. 

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.