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Best Practices of Effective Employee Recognition
Best Practices of Effective Employee Recognition

February 25, 2022

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The Great Resignation is happening and at a greater pace. Hence, it’s vital to take a step back and realize that your employees have been working day in and day out like superheroes during one of the most challenging periods in history. 

However, genuine employee appreciation is beyond just saying “hey, thanks.” If uttered from the bottom of your heart, gratitude can turn out to be an excellent retention tool. 

Appreciation increases motivation, morale, retention, engagement, and productivity. Appreciating someone’s good work and efforts publicly is one of the significant sources of fulfillment in the workplace. Keeping these in mind, it is vital to design your employee appreciation programs that create that impact. 

Here are some best practices to follow. 

1. Define the goals of the recognition program clearly

Be clear as to what actions or behaviors employees will want to see on a recognition program and its impact on business goals. Whenever you start an employee recognition program, get your team to address these questions:

 

  • What behavior types to reward: Keep your business objectives in mind and decide what behaviors you want to incentivize. Remember, an effective recognition is associated with organizational values. For example, if delays are a major challenge that a business faces, have a category that recognizes activities that were completed on time. 
  • How to appreciate a desired behavior: Not all fingers are the same. That’s why it is crucial to know your team and reward them accordingly.  Not all employees like to read the same old, boring appreciation messages just copy-paste from the internet. A few want to be appreciated in a certain way over others. Generally, praise must be public, which not only makes the employee feel special but also sets an example for the entire team.
  • How frequently should recognition programs occur: Employees prefer frequent appreciation, so it is vital to recognize your team regularly. While on-the-spot recognition is good, reiterating that appreciation during meetings for special achievements helps amplify the recognition effects.

2. Have various options for rewards

According to a research published by Deloitte found that employees prefer both types of recognition in the workplace—#1 Praise & Emblematic recognition and #2 Monetary rewards. So, saying that employees only prefer money over non-tangible rewards is a misconception. In fact, having a varied approach for your recognition programs helps reinforce employee behaviors constantly. 

A recognition program is effective only if you have a wide array of rewards options. Employees have their own preferences, and they like it if you give them the liberty to choose their rewards. 

Also, don’t assume what everyone wants. Instead, engage your teams to understand the type of rewards they would be excited to receive. This is especially true for monetary rewards where gift cards might be preferred over materials with a corporate logo on it. Therefore, draft some ideas on what rewards your teams will love to have and then send that list as a survey to know the preferences of employees. 

3. Heartfelt appreciations leave the most impact 

There is nothing worse than putting all your efforts at work only to see that no one in the organization has acknowledged them. Ever worked for a manager or an employer that rarely complimented you for your hard work? If yes, then you know how demoralizing that is. 

Also, receiving empty praises that have no meaning is even more demotivating. Thus, heartfelt and meaningful appreciation matters the most. Not just that—people will go the extra mile if they receive genuine appreciation.

So the next time you appreciate your employees, ensure that the recognition is 100% genuine and have facts to back that up. Be clear in explaining how they helped you and how they went beyond their formal responsibilities in getting things done. 

4. Timely recognition is important 

Imagine receiving a reward for something you had done three months ago? It's meaningless and serves no purpose. That's why timely recognition is essential. The longer the recognition, the less likely employees will see them as authentic. Have proper employee recognition systems in place so that you can strike when the iron is hot.

5. Measure the effectiveness of the recognition program

Recognition programs can impact different areas of an organization. That's why having a proper measurement system like NPS (Net Promoter Score) provides an excellent way to measure the effectiveness of the recognition program and assess factors like employee morale and engagement. 

Again, a recognition program is effective only if it positively impacts other factors such as productivity, turnover, and performance. Pulse surveys, feedback sessions, and brief interviews are a great way to know this. 

Gather 360° feedback regularly, and utilize it to alter your program wherever necessary. Leverage data from your recognition program to inform other business decisions. Research behavior to determine if any team or individual is isolated, review how teams are connected, and facilitate collaboration where needed. Are there teams with exemplary behavior? Study them to understand how to take those learnings to other departments.


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