An Uncomplicated Guide to Create an Employee Recognition Strategy
There’s a popular saying, “Recognition is the Greatest Motivator”.
When taken the right step in this direction, you can encourage your employees to unleash their potential, fight their demons, and deliver outcomes that might not be practically possible. It can motivate them to turn impossible into possible.
But, the question that arises is: Is it an easy job? Can you easily offer optimal recognition to your employees?
Alas, no.
Employee recognition can be an exhausting task. You might struggle with noticing every single thing, making a balance between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, and lending a helping hand to your team. You would have to invest your money, time, and energy into this process without having any clarity of real outputs.
I know, it sounds scary.
But don’t worry!
By the end of this article, you will have a bullet-proof plan of how to build a culture of Employee recognition and what does it takes to bring a smile on their faces.
So, are you ready?
Before we jump to the tactics to pay attention to, let’s look into statistics proving why it really matters.
7 Statistics Highlighting the Importance of Employee Recognition
90% of employees admitted that Recognition Program enhance engagement.
68% of employees accepted that it extends its turn over.
69% of employees are ready to put more effort, if their work is being recognized.
58% of employees responded that ‘recognition’ is the foremost thing managers can do to boost their engagement level.
70% of employees feel that Gamification can be a good medium for recognition.
50% of employees believe that appreciation by manager improves relationship and build trust.
28.6% less frustration level is experienced in organizations having Recognition program that those who do not.
While these numbers would have created a sense of urge to create and execute your Employee recognition plan at the earliest, let’s take a different turn.
Rather than unveiling different ways to make your employees feel recognized, let’s first find an answer to the question, “How often should one notice their employees’ efforts?”.
Time Duration to Consider in Employee Recognition Process
When talking about the time required for Employee Recognition, everyone has a different timeline. On one side, some organizations invest in this activity annually, while on the other side, others perform this on a daily basis.
So, it is completely up to you which timeline do you decide for praising your employee’s efforts.
PS: According to Gallup, managers should review their employee’s performance and appreciate every once in a week.
Now as we are familiar with the time duration at which we should praise our employees, let’s make no further ado and see what tips can help in improving Employee Recognition strategies.
Tips to Follow When Planning Your Employee Recognition Strategy
- Greeting them Every Morning
Though often overlooked, greeting your employees in the morning also boost their confidence. When you wish ‘Good morning’ to them and ask about their health and day, their feel valued.
They start their work with a happy and focused mind, which eventually aids them to deliver highly effective solutions.
2. Highlight Their Work in Next Meeting
The next step you can take for making your employees feel special is to take out a few minutes from the main agenda of your meeting and highlight the efforts of your employees.
When you showcase their work specifically and give them a big round of applause in front of all, they experience a feeling that’s beyond what can any bonus amount can bring. So, look ahead to put this into practice.
3. Introduce a ‘Champion/Employee of the Month’ Award
Another interesting way to praise your productive employees is to announce ‘Champion/Employee of the Month’ award.
When you announce an employee to the best out from the crowd and offer some kind of award or object like a ‘Hero’ cap, it not solely motivates the employee receiving the recognition, but also encourages others to put their best efforts and be that position next month.
In this way, you will be able to provide a competitive yet positive environment to your employees.
4. Appreciate Core Values
Mostly managers keep appreciated bounded to their technical skills. However, this is not the right practice. There are various scenarios when employees highlight their leadership, innovative, and understanding side — something that helps the whole team to go ahead effectively.
So, do focus upon the core human values too. Bring everyone on board and show gratitude to that employee for strengthening the whole team and come up with impressive outcomes.
5. Take Them Out for Lunch
Another practice that can amp up your Employee Recognition method is to take your whole team out for lunch.
When you introduce the idea of going out whenever your team meets a target or do something remarkable, they feel more appreciated. They feel valued when you raise a toast for them.
Besides, they enjoy the pleasant change in their environment (something really different from the corporate ecosystem), and look ahead to have conversations unrelated to work.
This, as a whole, helps you with knowing more about their behavior, choices, needs, and more, which further simplifies the process of praising your employees.
6. Give a Gift Card/Coupon
In the world of Employee Recognition, many leaders make the mistake of appreciating efforts of only those who do something extraordinary. They offer perks and advantages to only those.
While this sounds like building a competitive environment, it can also add negativity in the ecosystem. So, plan your Employee recognition strategy such that some of the favors are offered to everyone — regardless of their performance.
And when talking about such offers, an effective way is to give gift cards or coupons to all of your employees.
7. Seek Continual Feedback
You might have left no stone unturned to deliver the best of Employee recognition program. But still, there can be some shortcomings in your program — which only an employee can easily understand.
So, initiate the idea of getting continual feedback from your team and upgrade your plan accordingly. This will cut down your efforts as well as make it easier to provide them with the best of customized options to your team.
As we talked about in this article, building an Employee Recognition can be a tough, directionless, and ineffective method. But, with the list of tips shared in this article, the process can be as easy as pie. So, implement them in your plan.
In case you have any more to add or wish to share your experience, leave a comment below.
