September 23, 2024
Culture
We all crave attention and appreciation, even the most stoic ones who seem unaffected by anything. “Hey, Antony, that was a brilliant suggestion in today’s meeting.” This will go a long way in making Antony’s day or even week. The problem is that appreciation these days is rarely doled out, and is more of a chore that needs to be ticked off. Well, that’s wrong. A company with a culture of appreciation will not only see the difference in its bottom line, but it will also result in happy employees who are thrilled to step into the office every day (unless it is remote). Also, we are not referring to verbal appreciation alone. This article looks at some of the best strategies for managers and leaders to create a culture of appreciation.
On the first Friday of March, we celebrate World Employee Appreciation Day. This is a day to remember employees' contributions and foster a culture of appreciation that shows how valued they are, and not just a cog in the machine. Nearly one-third of employees don’t feel valued at work, according to People Element. This results in them feeling disengaged in the workplace. Companies that have low engagement see turnover rates up to 43% higher than highly engaged teams. It costs the global economy approximately $8.8 trillion.
According to a survey by GreatPlaceToWork, here are a few interesting stats on employee recognition:
Employees are 18 times more likely to do great work when they are recognized for their efforts. If you are a leader in an organization, you are better off working with a recognition and rewards program than relying on traditional incentives like bonuses or salary increments alone. Let’s look at some of the best ways to create a culture of appreciation in the workplace.
One of the easiest ways to streamline activities that reward and recognize employees consistently is by using a rewards program. An employee rewards program like the one offered by The Reward Store is a great choice for building a strong culture of appreciation. From diverse reward options to leveraging data to offer personalized suggestions, the platform is more than just a rewards store.
If you don’t work with employee recognition software, the problem is that you will not be able to automate what is necessary. The reward disbursal will not be streamlined and it will have a lot of misses that can leave a bad aftertaste. A subpar culture of appreciation is worse, and might even be seen as disrespectful.
Make it a point to celebrate every single milestone that is considered important in a professional’s life. Celebrate service milestones as well since you must recognize employees who have stayed loyal to your organization. The reward for service anniversaries could be as simple as ordering dinner for the team or offering them free tickets for an experience they like. Send email blasts to the entire company to recognize work anniversaries.
Even a statement as plain as, “That was a great job, Angela,” can do wonders to the psyche of an employee. Employee recognition doesn’t always have to be formal. Persuade managers and team leaders to find opportunities to praise employees. There can be several ways you can do this: Verbally praising the employee one-on-one, praising during meetings, sending emails with others in CC, a written thank-you note, and so on.
While everyone loves being praised, individual preferences on how they want to receive it are different.
Below are a few ways you can make appreciation personal:
When an employee achieves something huge, it could be closing a big deal or exceeding expectations in terms of sales numbers, ensure the news is shared across the organization. Even the smallest of successes deserve recognition. Otherwise, employees might not be as enthused as the previous time to work on it.
Employees should be aware of what they can do to be eligible for rewards of any kind. The rewards must be directly related to certain actions or achievements of the employees. They should be clearly outlined so that there is no confusion. When the employee is getting rewarded, they should also be explicitly told about the specific reasons for which they are being recognized.
The most common practice on the company website is to showcase the leadership team. You can add a section where the top performers are appreciated with a few lines recognizing their contributions. Being placed alongside those who are in the higher echelons of the organization will act as a huge motivation for everyone.
One of the easiest ways to involve everyone in creating a culture of appreciation is to create shout-out boards where anyone can mention an employee’s contribution and give them a shout-out. Peer-to-peer recognition can do wonders in keeping employees engaged. When given the power to appreciate each other, it can foster camaraderie among each other. This is a win-win for the organization.
From traveling to dining, gift cards are available for all sorts of products and services. Gift cards are special because they make the employee spend it on something they consider rewarding, rather than an essential. The former makes them feel as if they are treating themselves for a well-deserved accomplishment. Since gift cards can also be customized, they can last as a souvenir of sorts for the employee.
If you were to recognize something weeks or months after it was accomplished, there is no meaning to it. The employee will not see the reward as empowering or meaningful but as a chore completed without a lot of thought put into it. When you work with an employee recognition program like The Reward Store, it will help you with timely appreciation.
You can take recognition a step ahead by announcing employee achievements on your company’s social media handles. Think beyond internal company portals to identify opportunities to publicly acknowledge your employees.
Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning speaks about how having a bigger purpose makes you look forward to life. In the same way, the recognition that you offer must help your employees see how their contribution helps the organization go forward. It will motivate them to continue doing great work. Explain how their individual employee goals are connected to the organization’s goals, mission, and vision.
Wrapping Up:
Recognizing and rewarding employees is a powerful tool that increases engagement and retention rates. While a manual method to recognize employees will work, it will have a lot of flaws, be incomplete, and will not have the same efficiency as a rewards and recognition platform like The Reward Store. Always find ways to continually appreciate your employees. If you can do that consistently, they will do everything in their power to hit your short and long-term goals.
If you are looking to incorporate a rewards and recognition platform for your organization to show how much you appreciate your employees’ contributions, get in touch with The Reward Store. We will show you how we can be of help.
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