Recognition is a crucial component of motivation. When employees know they are appreciated for their contributions, they will continue to perform better. Take the time to recognize your best performers in front of peers and management. Showing gratitude towards your employees is also a great way to encourage them. The best way to acknowledge someone’s hard work is to show appreciation for everyone’s contribution.
Be creative, think outside the box, and try something new. This is what makes a company special and unique. Rewarding employees doesn’t have to be expensive either! You can use inexpensive methods like having a lunch date with an employee, giving them time off from work, or even giving them a Crystal globe trophy for their desk! Here we’ll discuss top practices for employee recognition.
1. Engage Managers
Engagement can be defined as the act of making sure that your employees feel engaged at work. This happens through managers taking time to understand what’s going on in their team’s lives outside of work and being willing to make changes to foster a sense of belongingness. A company’s culture can be molded from its management team, mainly if they are not engaged. This is where top leadership comes into play with their business goals. Managers should be given opportunities to voice their opinions within the organization and be encouraged to lead by example.
2. Be Relevant
Recognition should be based on something that was done right. If a company gives out awards for things like “Best Team Member,” how can they not recognize someone who went above and beyond? If the prize is for something that happened last year, what’s the point? How about giving out a few awards each month for different things throughout the year? This way, everyone will get recognized for doing their jobs well. Also, make sure to look at employees outside the department that contribute.
3. Make it Personal
The Crystal globe trophy is one of the most famous trophies available on the market today. Employee recognition is a vital part of any company’s culture. It should be done regularly, and it should be meaningful. A personal touch goes a long way to making an employee feel appreciated and valued. Employees need to know what they have done right. They also must know how their contributions to company success are recognized and appreciated. Recognition programs are effective when they focus on the individual’s value to the organization and provide rewards and employee benefits that match the job.
4. Tie Recognition to Company Values
Achieving high staff morale is a common challenge faced by businesses today. While some companies provide bonuses and other incentives, others fail to recognize those who go above and beyond to exceed expectations. Employees are motivated to perform at peak levels if they associate their work activities with their values. Incentive programs should tie recognition directly to the company’s core values.
In addition to tying rewards to company core values, organizations should have clear guidelines for how often performance goals should be achieved. Some leaders view weekly or monthly benchmarks as appropriate, while others believe that frequent feedback creates an unhealthy dependency between leader and employee.
5. Make Recognition Timely and Specific
Creating a culture that fosters recognition ensures that employees are aware of what they have done throughout their career at the company. Give each person a detailed report card to reflect on the year and accomplishments. This type of feedback allows employees to recognize their successes and confidence in their achievements. However, don’t just give your people a piece of paper and ask them to fill it out. Make this activity a fun time for everyone involved. You may want to hold monthly meetings where employees can share their accomplishments and celebrate their success together.
6. Make Recognition Fun, Fast, and Easy
Ensure employees know who has gone above and beyond the typical job description. This can often involve a simple email but include any information they need to share their achievements with others at work. It’s good to remember that not everyone may have grown up under the same circumstances, so including this information might be helpful to them.
Recognition is often overlooked as a method of motivating and rewarding employees. However, it has been proven that recognition programs can boost staff morale, increase productivity, help retain employees, improve customer service, and even contribute to team building.
