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:
- Plan a strategy
- Communicate clearly and often with your employees
- On-the-spot rewards
- Relevant rewards; Give your employees rewards they really want
- Upper management needs to be on board from implementation
- Utilize technology
- Encourage continuous feedback from your employees
- Make sure you can measure your results
- Have a fair and justified structure
- Utilize a single platform