No, really, “how are you doing?” This simple question asked of an employee by their manager, takes mere seconds to utter, but demonstrates to the employee that their wellbeing, whether work-related or otherwise, matters. The positive impact on the employee’s productivity and engagement is priceless.
This positive effect of recognition seems obvious, but its inclusion as part of a holistic approach to reward is sometimes overlooked by employers in their strategic planning. Recognition takes a back seat while the focus is on more ‘important’ reward issues such as pay, benefits and bonus. Significant research exists that demonstrates the clear link between recognition and engagement, which ultimately leads to increased productivity. But why do some employers downplay the valuable contribution of recognition?
It has become increasingly apparent to me that the small things really do make the biggest difference – these things quite often have little or no cost associated. A friendly enquiry into one’s wellbeing, praise for a job well-done or a simple thank you. These tokens of gratitude and care show employees that they, and their contribution, is valued. How much goodwill do you create when, on a sunny afternoon, you surprise an employee with the offer to go home early to enjoy the sunshine. The beauty of recognition is that it makes everyone involved feel good – giver and receiver alike.
These small yet powerful expressions of appreciation are the foundation of employee recognition. Of course, it may be that you need to build on these ad-hoc gestures with a more robust recognition scheme that reflects your organisation's priorities – something innovative and fair. The possibilities with recognition are endless. There are so many ways you can show someone your appreciation and recognise contribution, so it’s important to choose the right one for your organisation. Getting it wrong can be costly. Having a scheme which doesn’t work for your organisation and employees can result in time and money wasted as well as disengaged employees.
If you are planning to implement a new scheme or rejuvenate an existing one, I suggest exploring:
- What are the behaviours or achievements that you want to recognise?
- Will employees be recognised as a team or individually?
- Does the recognition fit with the organisation’s culture and values?
- Is there a link to organisation strategy?
- Does it complement your people strategy?
- Will the recognition be valued by employees? How relevant is it for the demographic?
- How can you ensure that recognition is perceived to be fair and consistent?
- How can the recognition budget be used most effectively?
By taking a bit of time up front to plan and test your ideas, you can create an approach to recognition that works and results in engaged and highly productive employees.
To find out how Innecto can help with your recognition scheme, call us on 020 3457 0894
