Team versus individual recognition in the time of hybrid working

• Team and individual recognition schemes may follow some of the same guidelines, but there are key differences when it comes to implementing these successfully.
• Employers must consider what forms of team and individual recognition work for their culture, and understand how this is changing during the rise of hybrid working.
• Connectivity and culture can be boosted through the use of regular, habitual recognition and reward.

According to OC Tanner's 2023 Global culture report, published in September 2022, 74% of employees believe recognition to be a crucial part of the workplace community.

Recognition works best when it is integrated into everyday culture, regularly given and seen throughout all levels of the organisation, acknowledging the efforts of both individual employees and teams in personalised ways.

Team and individual recognition schemes will often follow similar guidelines, but there are fundamental differences to executing these successfully. In addition, recognition as a whole is changing in the 'new normal', where hybrid and remote working are widespread and workplace culture is fast evolving.

Understanding the difference

Recognising an employee as an individual involves celebrating their specific achievements and contributions, often through a more personalised gesture of appreciation. Conversely, team recognition is about celebrating the ability to work together towards a common goal or milestone within the business.

Both team and individual approaches to recognition can go a long way towards building a culture of appreciation across an organisation, as well as helping employees understand how they contribute to their employer’s mission and goals.

When designing a recognition scheme, it is important to understand the organisation's values, as well as staff needs. Employers should consider which forms of recognition fit best with their unique model. However, there are some universals; for example, whether for a team or individual, rewarding little and often can be more effective than waiting until Christmas to provide one large bonus, says Chris Ronald, vice president EMEA B2B at Blackhawk Network.

“Individual employee recognition schemes are usually designed to drive employees to achieve personal goals and drive individual productivity,” he explains.

“These can be structured programmes, such as long service awards, or spontaneous recognition for meeting a specific goal, exceeding expectations or a job well done. Examples include public thank yous, certificates, and financial and non-financial rewards, such as gift cards, bonuses, flowers, chocolates and time-off.”

Meanwhile, team recognition drives and motivates employees to collaborate and share in success, adds Ronald. Examples include a business-wide meeting to recognise the importance of a team’s contribution, an employer-funded dinner, or an afternoon off for either annual leave or a fun activity offsite.

James Malia, UK managing director at Prezzee, says: “An individual may be recognised with an employee of the month, hall of fame or digital gift card, whereas rewards for teams need to be more group-focused.

“The spotlight needs to shine on individuals as it encourages them to continue being brilliant and drives positive energy to those around them. However, with the right approach, getting a team of employees to all want recognition, and to work together to get it, can be hugely valuable to any business.”

Making it work

Clear and concise values and messaging are key to both team and individual recognition schemes, as they can make it easy for employers to link performance, teamwork and innovation to the recognition or reward. This is only gaining importance at a time when employees are often dispersed and potentially isolated due to hybrid working patterns.

Just as importantly, recognition schemes should not be aligned with overworking, such as working long hours and overtime. Hybrid and remote working has, in many ways, helped with work-life balance, but it has also created an environment where it is easier for staff to overwork, and made it harder to have the oversight needed in order to discourage them from doing so. Team and individual recognition schemes may now need to openly encourage smarter and more efficient working in order to combat this trend.

Whether employees are in the office, at home or part of a hybrid work model, consistently encouraging, recognising and rewarding positive behaviour will help it to become habitual.

An individual employee can be recognised through verbal or written shoutouts from peers, or from the top down through managers or leadership. Employers should consider factoring in the employee's own preferences, and allow them to choose or personalise the reward, perhaps with a small token, extra annual leave, or a monetary award.

Furthermore, being recognised in front of the wider organisation can help employees to feel valued, particularly for teams being recognised as a unit.

Even when recognising a team as a whole, however, there should be an element of individual specificity, says Robert Ordever, European managing director at OC Tanner.

“Ask what each individual did that helped the team hit the sale, how they each brought value to the team and why their individual work matters," he explains. "It is this personal touch that changes everything and is so impactful to the recipient, bringing real authenticity and connection."

While having a structured approach can help embed recognition into organisational culture, employers may want to be spontaneous to ensure rewards feel authentic. Surprising employees or teams with small, regular moments of recognition can be highly effective.

Although incentivising individual employees, such as to meet sales targets, can be a key element of recognition, it is important to check in on the effect this is having. Ronald warns this can make staff feel pitted against one another, either within teams or between them, which is not conducive to a positive culture of mutual support. Too much focus on team recognition and incentives can also create undue pressure and fear of letting fellow team members down, which can have a negative effect on individual wellbeing and result in burnout.

Nevertheless, this is not a reason to avoid recognition, but a motivation to get it right and keep monitoring what works and what does not.

“Typically, when people are motivated to work harder for the good of the team, it results in higher performance across the board,” Ronald says.

“Modern business working, and the influence of hybrid working, means there is an increasing need to drive productivity as a team. Recognising an entire team as one can boost collaboration, camaraderie and promote the sense that everyone is in it together.”

Increasing connectivity

Personalised recognition can be powerful, whether employees are located at home or in the workplace. When it comes to those working remotely, either entirely or for a few days each week, employers should work hard not to allow them to feel unseen when not in the office every day.

Scheduling regular virtual meetings, where managers can check in and commend remote employees, is essential to keep morale high, says Nebel Crowhurst, chief people officer at Reward Gateway.

Employers looking to support staff during trying times, such as the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, may not be in a position to offer a pay rise as recognition, she adds. However, a digital employee engagement platform, offering rewards and discounts, can be a cost-effective method to show support for both employees and teams. This has the added effect of helping with financial wellbeing and motivation at once.

“Reward redemption options that allow employers to provide their employees with meaningful rewards as part of a holistic reward and recognition programme, for example supermarket vouchers to use on their weekly food shop or retail vouchers to replace essential white goods, can make a real difference during the cost-of-living crisis,” says Crowhurst.

While there has been a surge in tools to facilitate connectivity during the rise of hybrid working, offering a collective incentive can be more beneficial than ever to building team spirit, virtually or in the office. However, focusing only on team recognition can have its downfalls at an individual level, says Ronald.

“Certain employees may invest more effort or provide contributions that are instrumental to the successful outcome of a project," he explains.

"Therefore, splitting a reward evenly can mean that certain employees feel unseen, while others who have not necessarily pulled their weight on a project have no motivation to work harder on the next assignment. This can result in an unproductive culture that will inevitably lead to disengaged members on the team.”

Maintaining momentum

With headlines full of concerns over quiet quitting, and many organisations facing worries over how to keep staff productive despite being out of sight and surrounded by distractions at home, individual recognition is more important than ever. Rather than strictly monitoring employees' activity while working remotely, which can lead to disengagement, encouraging them to meet their targets, possibly in whatever working pattern fits their needs, means employers can embrace hybrid working without worrying about losing productivity.

“As employees continue to work from home, businesses are looking to drive high levels of accountability and recognition, so acknowledging good work within teams is a great way to increase this,” says Ronald.

Giving employees or teams recognition, whether they work remotely or in the workplace, can create meaningful moments that prove vital for business success. Employers should recognise the impact that these moments can have on staff loyalty and engagement, and ensure that individual and team recognition are not just a one-off, but a habitual part of organisational culture.

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