Employee recognition is, without a doubt, the cornerstone of good management. Nowadays, it is more challenging than ever to attract, not to mention retain, the good talent in your company. The talent competition is enormous, and how we treat employees is vital for a company’s success. That being said, businesses take measures to encourage their employees and boost the workplace culture to drive growth. How do they do this? By using employee recognition, of course!
Many factors contribute to employee engagement, but recognition is among the most important. Companies with good recognition programs have a more effective talent management cycle. They enjoy lower voluntary turnover and better employee performance, resulting in higher revenue.This proves that recognition fuels extra effort and promotes a more positive workplace culture.
If you don’t have a program in place, this is the perfect time and place to get started. In this post, we will introduce you to the key steps that can help you build an employee recognition program that drives growth.
What Does ‘Employee Recognition’ Mean?
Employee recognition includes every single way an organization shows it appreciates its employee’s contribution. This can take many forms, it isn’t just about monetary compensation.
Just like there are many ways to recognize an employee’s contribution, there are also different reasons why companies choose to do this. Generally speaking, an organization will recognize an employee for:
- Achievements in the workplace
- Going above expectations
- Fulfilling previously set milestones (for instance, tenure or the completion of a large project)
- Contributing to the company’s positive culture
- Sharing their opinions and exhibiting desired behaviors
At Growth Hackers, we worked with a tech startup that struggled with employee morale and unclear appreciation practices, and after introducing structured recognition for achievements, milestones, and cultural contributions, their engagement levels increased in less than half a year.
How to Use Recognition to Create a Positive Workplace Culture | 7 Employee Recognition Ideas
Recognition can change the organization’s relationship with its employees. It is a sure way to motivate someone to keep working, make them feel acknowledged, and basically build a more positive workplace culture. Without any further ado, let’s delve into the ways you can use recognition to make this kind of impact.
1. Provide frequent verbal/written feedback
Does your organization have an employee of the month program? Have you noticed how more and more companies join this trend to recognize one person who works hardest every month? This tells us that acknowledgment is not a one-time practice. If you want to do it right, you need to provide frequent feedback.
A lot of the time, it doesn’t cost anything to acknowledge your team’s achievements. A small statement can make someone’s day, and motivate them to work harder.
To motivate their team and keep them on board with their organization’s expectations, managers provide regular feedback not only through reward programs like employee of the month, but also through weekly, monthly, semi-monthly, or yearly reviews.
You’re probably thinking: doesn’t this get boring? Will me using the same statements over and over again keep motivating the team?
In reality, you don’t have to keep using the same performance review phrases or make the same statements to encourage your employees. Be original about it and use different positive employee feedback phrases – your team will appreciate this much more than hearing you say the same thing to everyone.
Remember: feedback doesn’t always need to be positive to be encouraging. Throw in some constructive phrases in your employee reviews to make sure they know what is expected of them and motivate them to work harder.
2. Know when to recognize an employee
Before you can recognize someone for their work, you need to KNOW they are performing well. Any good recognition program is reliant on keeping track of employees’ attendance, performance, and more.
Thanks to technology, this is very simple nowadays and very accurate, too. In the past, organizations struggled to keep track of everyone’s attendance, break times, clock-ins and clock-outs, and more. This caused them to miss the impeccable performance of some employees or the irresponsible behavior of others, leading to a worsening workplace culture where people are angry at management.
If you are trying hard to get to work on time, take breaks only when allowed, and do your absolute best, wouldn’t you be angry if others don’t do this and don’t suffer any repercussions? Wouldn’t you be angry that you aren’t praised or rewarded for your effort?
With that in mind, you should implement a system where managers can keep track of how well every individual performs in the company. This way, they can’t skip on an opportunity to recognize someone’s good work, and your employees will be happier.
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3. Make it easy for managers to recognize employees
Some managers are better at giving recognition. This is mainly dependent on two things:
- What the organization’s recognition program allows them to do
- How skilled they are at giving recognition
For an organization to reap the benefits of a recognition program, it needs to know how to use recognition properly to create a positive workplace culture. Furthermore, it needs to focus on management training to ensure that they are capable of motivating the team and creating a positive workforce culture.
Leaders can have a tremendous impact on employee engagement.
Leaders rated in the bottom 10% for providing recognition have been linked with 27.4% of employee engagement. In comparison, those rated in the top 10% are linked with a 69.8% employee engagement.
That being said, it is not just about creating incentives or rewards for employee recognition. You must also make it easy for the people implementing this recognition to be able to do it properly.
For instance, you can create a calendar with reminders and tips for recognition programs across departments. Here are some examples of what to include in them:
- Best practices for appreciation
- Examples of adequate rewards for different achievements
- Important dates that you can celebrate in-office
- Recognition quotes management can share with the team
- Reminder to write an employee performance review after a selected period has passed
- Reminders of employee service anniversaries
At Growth Hackers, we helped a B2B SaaS company simplify and systemize manager-led employee recognition with templates, reminders, and training, resulting in an increase in manager participation and a lift in employee engagement scores.
4. Diversify recognition within the organization
One of the first options to recognize an employee is to say ‘thank you for your hard work’. This will make them feel acknowledged and motivate them, but saying ‘thank you’ won’t always be enough.
People are sometimes more motivated by words of praise. Other times, they will expect a cash reward for their hard work. Everyone in an organization has their preference when it comes to receiving appreciation. In the end, there are plenty of ways to boost employee engagement.
So, what can you do?
What you should do is diversify recognition within your organization. If you are managing a limited number of people, you might be able to find what each individual expects and offer it to them.
However, in bigger organizations, diversifying your rewards and praises is the smartest move. Consider not only monetary awards, but also customized gifts, public praises, days off, travel perks, and more.
Money alone doesn’t always bring happiness, though it certainly is a popular work motivator. However, you will learn that people are happier when they receive something meaningful, showing them that you took the time to recognize their work and didn’t use something generic to keep them working.
5. Recognize at the right time
Waiting for award sessions or the end of the month to come to give out recognition is a big error. When someone does something right, don’t wait to recognize their achievement. A simple email or a short announcement during a meeting can go a long way in building a positive workplace culture.
Recognition that comes months after the fact is not as meaningful as getting it promptly. The longer it takes for your organization to recognize its employees, the less effect this will have on their performance and well-being.
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6. Celebrate the small wins, too
We all strive toward achieving those big goals that make a big difference, but how do we get there? It is the small wins that make the big ones, which is why you should be acknowledging them, too. At Growth Hackers, we treated an AI startup team’s growth journey like building a staircase where every step matters, and once small wins were consistently recognized, overall team momentum improved almost instantly.
Whether an occasion or achievement is big or small, it should definitely factor into your organization’s recognition and corporate gifting program. Of course, the rewards will differ according to the achievement, but you should never let accomplishments go unappreciated.
7. Democratize recognition within the organization
Last but not least, recognition doesn’t only have to come from the top down. Very often, being recognized by your peers can be just as meaningful as being recognized by the manager… sometimes even more.
If you really want to promote a more positive workplace culture, you need to democratize recognition. Peer-to-peer recognition builds a more engaging, collaborative, and inclusive workplace culture.
Here is how you can do this:
- Acknowledge the people who consistently recognize others
- Teach your employees to give recognition with training sessions or guides
- Create an open environment where people can openly appreciate their colleagues
Is your organization recognizing employees’ achievements?
Everyone craves recognition for a job well done. Even small children crave it from their parents and their teachers, so why should employees be any different? If you are doing this right, you should be able to witness the benefits in the workforce and your team’s performance. If you think you can improve, start with this list and expand on it. Make sure to recognize your employees’ hard work: they are the ones contributing to the success of the business!
GrowthHackers is recognized as one of the top growth hacking agencies helping businesses from all over the world grow. There is no fluff with Growth Hackers. We help entrepreneurs and business owners harness the power of recognition, increase their organic SEO, generate qualified leads, optimize their conversion rate, gather and analyze data analytics, acquire and retain users and increase sales.
We go further than brand awareness and exposure. We make sure that the strategies we implement move the needle so your business grow, strive and succeed. If you too want your business to reach new heights, contact Growth Hackers today so we can discuss about your brand and create a custom growth plan for you. You’re just one click away to skyrocket your business.
