Let’s be honest; we all appreciate being recognized for our achievements, tenure, hard work, and for going above and beyond expectations. This desire to receive recognition is not limited to only our personal lives; we want to be recognized in our professional lives as well. As a matter of fact, a recent study conducted by O.C. Tanner (a Great Place to Work certified company) found that employee recognition is most important to 37% of employees.
Employee recognition helps to retain top talent, increase employee engagement, and encourage high performance. A study cited in Harvard Business Review found that 82% of employed Americans don’t feel that their supervisors recognize them enough for their contributions and 40% of employed Americans say they’d put more energy into their work if they were recognized more often. With statistics like these, it is important for managers, leaders, and business owners to ask themselves if they create a culture where employee recognition is practiced on a regular basis. Given the currently hot job market, employee recognition should be a number one priority.
How do you make it a part of your daily culture? The good news is, it doesn’t require a crazy ramp up or spending a lot of money. It simply requires consistency and a willingness to make this a part of your routine as a manager or leader. While bonuses or gifts can be an effective form of recognition, 65% of employees prefer non-cash incentives.
Reverie offers some simple ways to make your employees feel appreciated that will ot break the bank:
Deliver verbal praise on a regular basis. You can publicly offer praise during a team meeting or you can simply privately offer praise directly to the employee. Be sincere in your delivery and keep it simple, such as, “I really appreciate how hard you’ve worked to complete the project. You went above and beyond and I can’t thank you enough.” Recognize the little things and the big things.
Send a note, email, or card to your team member recognizing their efforts, work ethic, and dedication.
Send an email to your entire team acknowledging the hard work done by the team.
Take your employee out to lunch, buy them a coffee, or leave a treat on their desk with a note recognizing the stellar job they did.
Give them a trophy/plaque to recognize a job well done, a work anniversary or special milestone.
Have a fun “trophy” that you pass from one team member to another for the person who you saw going “above and beyond '' during the past week, month, or whatever time frame you designate. Make sure that you continue to pass the trophy regularly in whatever time frame you’ve determined.
Do an Employee of the Month, Above and Beyond Team Member, etc.
Throw a little celebration in the office in honor of an employee or team that has done a great job.
Acknowledge employees’ work anniversaries. Thank them for their contribution to the success of the business.
Regardless of how you choose to recognize employees, the most important thing to remember is to make it consistent, sustainable, and a part of your daily culture. We have no doubt that implementing employee recognition into your organization will lead to happier employees, higher productivity, and a more engaging, collaborative work environment.
Does your business do a great job of employee recognition? Send us an email at TheLab@FindReverie.com to tell us about your program. We would love to hear from you!