Last week, my wife left me a little note on a report I wrote. She read it and took the time to let me know that she liked it. Even though it was just a small note, the effect was strong: it made me very happy. Recognition is that simple. Employee appreciation is an important building block for a strong, winning company culture, so let’s focus on your approach for employee recognition.
There is no one-size-fits-all method for success. Your company’s culture is unique, and the recognition approach needs to be specific to your situation in order to be successful. However, the list below displays the general rules that apply to all successful recognition programs. Safeguard these rules for a sustainable and authentic approach that your employees will appreciate.
- Drive for sincerity. Employee recognition is not just a management trick, but rather genuine appreciation which can help drive motivation, performance and retention. Saying “thank you” or “that’s a job well done” needs to be meaningful and authentic.
- Like French Fries, serve recognition while it’s hot. Make sure that you recognize performance or behavior as quickly as possible for maximum effect. The longer you wait, the less authentic it will be perceived. That diminishes the effect this and future recognition will have.
- Recognize specific behavior, accomplishments or objectives. Being specific helps the employee directly tie the recognition to their achievement.
- It’s not just the money. Although a salary increase, promotion or bonus is appreciated by many, studies show that other ways of recognizing and rewarding employees can be as effective, and in some cases, even be more effective. The effect of certain types of recognition lasts longer. I remember seeing hand-written notes from CEOs and VPs that turned yellow over time but were still cherished by the employees that received them.
- Recognition does not turn employees soft. I have heard arguments that leaders fear recognition will mean that employees think they’ve made it, and start to show less effort. The opposite is true. It drives motivation, engagement and fosters continued success.
- Tie it to your company culture. You can strengthen elements from your company’s culture by focusing on them in your recognition program. Think of programs around excellence, safety or innovation, for instance.
- Create a program that formalizes employee recognition.
- Start a program using a tool. There are successful tools out there, run by companies that specialize in offering the platform and helping you create the environment of effective employee recognition.
- Celebrate team or department successes with monetary rewards, or, to strengthen the team, group events such as lunches or dinners, sporting events, outings, gift cards and so on.
- Make recognition public by publishing employees’ and teams’ achievements in newsletters, bulletin boards, common rooms, and events such as town halls.
- Individual successes need to be beyond question, which means that no-one should challenge – out loud or not – the recognition of that employee. Objective figures or achievements are essential, and ensure the ‘how’ that led to the ‘what’ is in line with expectations as well as the culture.
- When you ensure that recognition is based on objective criteria, you also ensure that encouraged behavior or success is similar across teams and managers.
- Train your managers. It is not uncommon that managers feel uncomfortable providing effective feedback and recognition. You can help you managers strengthen your organization’s culture by ensuring they are equipped to provide this timely, effectively and sincerely.
Soaring + Company supports organizations to perform better through the performance of their employees and internal processes. We can help you build your company’s culture and retain key talent in a sustainable way. Reach out to us if you want to learn more about how we can help recognize, reward and retain your employees. Find this, and more, on www.soaringandcompany.com/.
