Inspiring Workplace Culture | Motivate Employees

Reasons to Think About an Employee Recognition Program

Written by Jessica Kurtzman | 9/20/17 4:55 PM

Building an employee recognition program can have immense positive effects on employee morale, productivity, employee engagement, and even bottom line revenue.

Almost anyone can give recognition:

  • Peers
  • Managers
  • Leaders
  • Customers

How much would an employee engagement program cost:

An effective program normally pays for itself and more in the form of increased motivation, productivity, engagement, and retention.

Why is employee recognition important:

  • Let employees know that their work is valued and appreciated
  • Gives employees a sense of ownership and belonging in their place of work
  • Improves morale
  • Enhances loyalty
  • Helps build a supportive work environment
  • Increases employee motivation
  • Improves employee retention

Recognition expert Bob Nelson gives the following guidelines for day-to-day recognition:

He calls them the 'ASAP Cubed' Guidelines

  • As Soon - Timing is important; don't delay praise; do it in the moment
  • As Sincere - Do it because you're truly appreciative
  • As Specific - Give details of the achievement; give context of why the effort is important for the business
  • As Personal - Do it in person (or a handwritten note)
  • As Positive - Don't mix in criticism
  • As Proactive - Don't wait for perfect performance

How to implement your employee engagement platform:

  1. Plan a strategy
  2. Communicate clearly and often with your employees
  3. On-the-spot rewards
  4. Relevant rewards; Give your employees rewards they really want
  5. Upper management needs to be on board from implementation
  6. Utilize technology 
  7. Encourage continuous feedback from your employees
  8. Make sure you can measure your results
  9. Have a fair and justified structure
  10. Utilize a single platform