6 ways employee recognition can future proof your company culture

The need to engage your people couldn't be more critical. The majority of employees today (about two-thirds, according to the latest research) are still disengaged from their workplace. These employees do not feel motivated or valued by their employers. Many feel invisible at work or simply lack recognition for the work they do.

But how do you implement recognition tactics that will engage employees now and well into the future? Simple, any company (of any size) should prioritise the following employee recognition best practices for success:

1. Engage managers early on 

Managers are key drivers of company culture and strong examples of behaviour in the workplace. When they support (and use!) recognition, employees are likely to participate, as well. According to our research, the leaders who empower their teams through recognition, and who hold other managers accountable for using it, have the most successful employee recognition plans. It can look like: 

2. Train managers on why recognition matters 

When introducing employee recognition tools, you may receive pushback from managers – like, “Why should I recognise people for doing their jobs?” This is especially true when many employees are working remotely, and might not be as visible as they would in an office setting so the day-to-day successes can easily get lost.

To prevent this, you must get managers on board from the very beginning, by educating them on the benefits of employee recognition and the importance of shining a spotlight on the daily successes others in the business might not know about. 

3. Start team meetings with a recognition story

Companies that carry recognition stories over to the business, so that they can be shared and heard, are likely to see powerful results. For example, some businesses implement a “1-minute reminder” to open business meetings with a recognition story. This amplifies the recognition culture by not only motivating the employee being recognised, but also the other employees in the meeting who desire that level of recognition.

4. Fold recognition training into your induction

Recognition can start on an employee’s first day of work. It’s key to show frontline workers appreciation as well as those who are working remotely.  When these are introduced during the onboarding process, you set new hires up for success. They will benefit from hearing other recognition stories and observing examples of recognition within the company. Most of all, they will better understand the desired behaviours that are likely to be rewarded over time.

5. Publicly recognise your people to increase engagement 

Everyone loves to feel appreciated and your employees are no exception. While everyone is dispersed, working in different locations across the country – technology is the glue that’s keeping us together.

When we can communicate and recognise one another publicly for everyone in the business to see, other departments and teams are kept in the loop about big projects. By making employee recognition public, employees can feel more connected than ever before.

6. Keep all engagement tools in one place 

As with any technology you pick, having them in one place is key. You want to make it easy for your employees to adopt recognition practices, so it is important to give them a system that easy-to-use and log into. If they have to remember how to use the program every time, they are unlikely to use it at all, especially when your typical employee might be using several digital tools at once.

Choosing an employee recognition programme that is completely customisable to your company’s needs can help your teams feel even more connected to the recognition programme you decide to put in place.

Driving Employee Recognition Results

Employee recognition does more than reward employees. In fact, companies reap the greatest reward of all. According to the Bersin Report, the right recognition can lead to a 39% increase in employee engagement. This type of employee recognition can also lead to 2.3x more revenue growth for businesses, 25% more productivity among teams, and 18% higher retention rates among customers.