Why Is Employee Recognition Important?
As workplaces become more pressured and increasingly competitive, employee burnout is on the rise. The increase of working from home has removed the opportunity for regular, face-to-face effective recognition of an employee's hard work.
Employee recognition and reward programs are crucial for improved employee engagement, retention, productivity, and satisfaction. Employee recognition is not just for an HR leader or senior leader, but all managers should make their employees feel valued.
Employee recognition is more important than ever before. We'll share the different forms of recognition rewards and provide training courses to learn the best employee recognition ideas.
How does recognition impact employee engagement?
Why should you recognize employees' hard work and success? Well, employee recognition and reward programs improve employee experience in the workplace, boosting morale and productivity.
4 benefits of employee recognition
Employee surveys suggest that 40% of businesses do not prioritize a culture of employee recognition. Yet, the benefits clearly show an increase in employee retention, job satisfaction, and purpose. Here is a fresh look at these benefits.
1. Retention
When employees feel appreciated, employee turnover is lower. Employee retention saves companies time, resources, and money. The recruitment process is surprisingly expensive, and high employee turnover results in decreased morale in other workers.
Retaining your workers for extended periods will also reduce training costs. New employees can learn on the job with experienced workers. New workers are also more likely to stay with a company that has a low turnover of employees.
A productive and fair workplace is attractive to many job seekers. The longer someone works with your company, the more pride they will have in its values and success. Employee retention is beneficial in many ways.
If you recognize your employees, they are more likely to feel appreciated. Therefore, you boost employee engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. Engaged employees enjoy each workday, and the cycle of recognizing good work feeds back into itself to improve employee standards.
2. Productivity
Employees that receive recognition put in the extra effort, and performance management improves. If you increase employee recognition, motivated employees have increased engagement.
You can measure how recognition programs affect employee productivity. Conduct an engagement survey before and after implementing recognition programs. It is likely employees who feel rewarded for their hard work will also report an increase in productivity.
Employees feeling appreciated will work harder to validate their reward, and in turn, these employees motivate others. Recognizing their achievements is crucial.
Productivity improves further when recognition is specific. Let workers know what they did that was rewarded. Knowing your strengths enables you to repeat these practices.
Productive employees enhance the business' prospects and improve profitability. Effective employees save the company excess costs. Employees knowing that they are actively involved in growing the business' outlooks are more likely to put in the extra effort.
3. Satisfaction
Job satisfaction is essential for employee morale and productivity, and employee satisfaction improves employee motivation. Recognition systems to make employees feel valued will help them appreciate their job and the company.
Employee recognition boosts happiness and improves productivity, which benefits the organization. A satisfied employee is less likely to leave, enhancing employee retention.
It increased loyalty, which might spread beyond the workplace. A satisfied employee is more likely to recommend the company's services to others if they feel appreciated. Similarly, the business is more likely to be able to recruit talented individuals.
Job satisfaction is important to employees — potential job candidates will turn to your business if you regularly reward workers.
Job satisfaction is vital — it should be every organization's priority. Regular recognition of hard work instills pride in the worker, and an employee proud of their work is more satisfied by the job role. It helps build a more robust, more stable business environment.
4. Purpose
A workplace culture that aims to motivate employees with a recognition award helps create a sense of belonging. Focus on encouraging company values that employees understand. Employees appreciate this transparency in a business structure and employer.
We are motivated by knowing how and why we have helped others. Specific recognition helps employee engagement. Workers who appreciate the bigger picture of business outcomes are more likely to portray the desired behavior.
Instilling pride in your workers is crucial. An employee who enjoys their employer will be a better team player or manager. They want to help others to help the entire company succeed.
Recognizing employees gives them a sense of purpose, and they understand their integral role in the company and feel valued. Specific recognition of how their actions have boosted company success teaches them to repeat that behavior.
How to implement an employee recognition program?
Award programs range from peer-to-peer recognition to using recognition software to reward top-performing employees.
Whatever type of recognition plan you put in place, it is imperative your employees feel recognized for their work. Follow our examples below to implement your recognition tools in the workplace.
1. Societal and monetary recognition
High salaries and monetary bonuses are often considered the top driver in employee engagement. After all, we all need money to live. Financial recognition ideas should expand beyond a paycheck. A lump sum is always appreciated; however, there is a chance it will end up going on bills.
Offering a points-based system, with employees collecting points for good work, allows them to convert earnings into a reward they want. This kind of employee recognition award enables immediate gratification.
For example, if they convert their prize into restaurant vouchers, they will directly relate their meal with their employers. Therefore, they are more likely to associate good work with the employee recognition gift than a one-off payment each year.
However, monetary payment is not the only way to recognize employees. Employees who received social recognition found the workplace a more welcoming environment. Publicly recognizing good work can positively impact both the employee and other workers who wish to receive similar rewards.
2. Inclusive recognition
Inclusive recognition is essential. Too often, recognition programs fail by only rewarding top performers. While the top talent should receive recognition and reward, many integral workers go unnoticed.
Build inclusion into your employee reward scheme. Try to celebrate employee work from all departments. Making a quieter, entry-level employee feel appreciated will improve their work ethic and desire to stick with the company.
Similarly, recognition programs should include everyone. Employees should feel valued by their direct managers, senior leaders, and team members. Recognition and compensation should be integral to every workplace culture.
Leaders should set an example and frequently show appreciation to everyone in the company, encouraging others to do the same. When an employee is deserving of specific recognition for good work, rewards from senior leaders will boost job satisfaction.
3. Publicize recognition
Public recognition amplifies the effect of reward and recognition. Firstly, formal recognition will be more respectful than a quiet word of thanks between manager and employee.
The effects of the reward will be long-lasting. For instance, a star of the week trophy sitting on an employee's desk for that week will boost their pride. They are more likely to work harder.
Secondly, if you reward employees in front of everyone, other workers will know what to aspire to, improving employee productivity and morale.
Thirdly, if your company is well known for employees feeling happy and appreciated, you will attract more people. From increased applicants to job openings to improved customer relations, public recognition of employees will make your business look good.
Share that your company is proud of your employees on social media and through marketing campaigns.
4. Frequent recognition
Frequent recognition encourages a culture of appreciation within the workplace. An employee of the month scheme encourages regular recognition and appreciation. It forces managers to consider their employee's hard work, leading to further daily praise and reward.
It would help if you also encouraged peer recognition through strategic employee recognition schemes. For example, you could ask for the entire team's input into who deserves employee of the month.
Regular employee appreciation ensures that employee recognition is a priority for the business and managers. Frequent recognition keeps employee engagement and productivity high.
5. Specific recognition
Recognition and rewards should be specific. Highlighting the particular action that an employer did well will ensure they continue. Similarly, it will set an excellent example for other workers to emulate.
It would help if you recognized specific actions immediately. Appreciation directly after the good step will create a direct correlation between excellent work and reward, ensuring repeat performance.
Employee recognition programs should name specific workers and teams. General recognition in the workplace is vital but specifying those who work extra hard increases employee engagement.
A recognition program should be adaptable for all employees' job roles. Everyone should appreciate other workers for their hard work, from the managers down to the maintenance team.
Explicitly singling out deserving individuals suggests the company is paying attention to its workers, making employees feel special.
Do employee recognition programs work?
A successful employee recognition program enhances employee engagement and the company's profitability.
Organizations with recognition programs instill the importance of employee recognition in the company's culture. Cultures of recognition reduce voluntary turnover and improve business success.
You should demonstrate recognition and reward throughout the company, from senior leadership to peer-to-peer gratitude and employee engagement to appreciation strategies.
If you're looking for employee appreciation ideas, sign up for an online training course. At Courses for Success, we offer an Employee Recognition Online Certificate Course. The course provides you with the training ideas to teach leaders to recognize employees and know when and appreciate workers.
The program covers extensive employee recognition schemes and how to create a culture of recognition company-wide. The course is available 24/7, suitable for flexible learning.
Upon completion, you receive a certificate to prove your understanding of the importance of employee recognition programs. Consider enrolling in an online training course to improve your company's success and employees' wellbeing.
Why Courses for Success?
Courses for Success offers over 10,000 online courses, all of which aim to help you in your personal development and career progression. Not only that, but you can also study them anywhere and at any time, and take them at your own pace, too.
You don't need career diplomas or specific experience to get started. From our coding courses and trading courses to design courses and developer courses, every course we offer will help boost your prospects, no matter who you are.
Beyond just the education itself, students will be issued a certificate online after completing each of the learning courses they do. Our online employee recognition courses are no exception and are recognized by industry leaders. You could make a name for yourself by signing up for a Courses for Success short course today.