The recent pandemic has caused a substantial disruption within the global jobs market and employers might be forgiven for focusing on other priorities than retention, perhaps more confident that employees will prioritise job safety right now. However, the strain of lockdown and navigating coronavirus means that, as the jobs market rebounds, people may well be looking for a change, and companies could lose talent.
Employers need to continue to look for ways to keep their best talent engaged over the next few months to prevent an exodus towards the end of the year.
One critical way this can be achieved is through public recognition – public recognition not only helps to boost individual employee engagement, but it has also been found to increase productivity, strengthen employee loyalty and lead to happier and more engaged employees who are motivated and driven to produce great work.
According to a recent report from Achievers, the biggest barrier to engagement for British workers is a lack of recognition. More UK employees (27 per cent) identified feeling underappreciated at work as a barrier to engagement than any other reason, followed closely by lack of career growth. Therefore, it’s key that business leaders and HR professionals put employee recognition front and centre in order to get the best out of their workforces.
Here are just some of the benefits of publicly recognising your employees for their hard work and dedication:
Retaining and attracting the best talent
Talent has become one of the key driving forces for business success. The resulting war for talent in the jobs market leaves organisations having to be ever more creative to win out over rivals and to protect their own resources. Publicly recognising your employees for their contributions is one key way to retain and attract the best talent in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Increased motivation
Publicly recognising employees for their hard work, provides workers with a sense of accomplishment and makes them feel valued for their work – leading to increased motivation. Employees who feel appreciated are more likely to excel at their job. When employees are going above and beyond, it may be difficult for that hard work to be noticed when working remotely. A recognition platform allows employees to easily send and receive recognitions acknowledging the contributions that are being made.
The benefits of employee recognition are undeniable. However, during times of crisis employee recognition might fall down the list of priorities. Every employee has the potential to be productive, motivated and resilient at work – they just need the right support structures in place. Therefore, it’s crucial that businesses and organisations have recognition programmes in place in order to drive behaviours that make them a “sticky” place to work. Click here to find out more about Achievers’ employee engagement platform.
