Four MUSTs for a successful employee recognition program

recognition

By Debra Corey, Group Reward Director 

I believe that every company, no matter what size or industry, needs some kind of recognition program. They’re no longer are a “nice to have,” but have become a strategic and critical part of a company’s overall Employee Value Proposition.

The good news is that employee recognition doesn’t have to be expensive. (I once saw a company use simple Post-its as a way to recognize their workforce!)  However, it does have to be a priority — 82% of employees surveyed by Gallup say praise and recognition are leading factors in helping them improve their job performance.

If you don’t have a recognition program, ask yourself, can my company afford not to have 82% of my workforce not at their peak performance?

How you design your recognition program will depend on your organization’s culture, values, business goals and the areas you’re trying to focus on and/or improve.

I’ve seen companies look into building recognition programs for many reasons, including some of these challenges:

  • Little to no understanding or connection with the company’s purpose, mission or values
  • Low morale
  • Negative view of company culture
  • Low overall engagement score
  • An increase in unproductive employees
  • Little to no collaboration among teams or individual team members

By building a program which starts with your purpose, so the “why,” you’ll have a better chance of addressing these challenges and introducing positive changes to both your people and your business.

Click here to read more of the blog and Debra’s three key employee recognition tips.