There are two kinds of companies: those that recognize and appreciate great work and those that simply expect employees to do their jobs. If you’ve ever worked for the first kind of company, you know how motivating it can be when your hard work is appreciated and acknowledged.
It feels good to be noticed, and it also encourages you to go above and beyond the next time. On the flip side, if you’ve worked for a company that doesn’t give recognition, you know how demoralizing it can be. Without that “thank you,” you’re not exactly inspired to invest the same level of effort in the future.
Employees want recognition…and they’re willing to leave a job to get it.
Recognition for a job well done is something all employees want and deserve. And when they don’t get that acknowledgement, it can have a direct impact on workplace culture and their desire to stay with an organization.
Unfortunately, employees right now aren’t getting much recognition, and aren’t satisfied with the amount of recognition they’re receiving. Quantum research found just 35% of employees receive recognition monthly or weekly. Of these employees, half would like more recognition for their work. A study by Workhuman found more than half of employees reported feeling only somewhat valued (46.4%) or not valued at all (10.7%) by their organization.
Why is this concerning? According to Gallup, employees who do not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year. When you consider it can cost up to double an employee’s salary to replace them, this has a real cost to the organization.
The good news is that you can avoid costly turnover by improving your organization’s approach to employee recognition and rewards.
Companies with recognition programs perform better.
Employee recognition programs are associated with a number of benefits, including increased employee engagement and productivity, which together add up to a healthier bottom line. One study found an 18x increased probability of great work when employees are recognized.
A joint study by WorkHuman and Gallup found “if the median business in Gallup’s database simply doubled the number of employees who strongly agree they have received recognition or praise for doing good work in the last week, that business could see a whopping $92M in gained productivity.”
With data like this it’s easy to see how the simple act of recognition can be a supercharger to the bottom line.
Need more evidence?
If you’re still not convinced of the power of employee recognition, consider these stats:
- Recognition keeps people.
- According to TINYpulse data, 21.5% of employees who don’t feel recognized when they do great work have interviewed for a job in the last three months — compared to just 12.4% who do feel recognized.
- Recognition builds trust and a sense of purpose.
- A Gallup study found:
- 66% of those on adequately praised teams strongly agree with this statement: “I trust the colleagues with whom I work on a regular basis.” Just 26% of employees who don’t receive team-based recognition trust their colleagues.
- More than half of the people on teams that are recognized strongly agree that they “openly share information, knowledge and ideas with each other.”
- 74% of those who say their team receives praise also strongly agree that they “have the feeling that what [they are] doing at work is valuable and useful.”
- A Gallup study found:
The bottom line: if you want to keep employees, inspire them to do their best work, achieve better business results, and foster a healthy organizational culture, show employees you appreciate them.
So how do you do it?
Here are 20 ideas for employee recognition and rewards—just in time for Employee Appreciation Day.
1. Handwrite a letter.
One of the easiest ways to recognize great work is by writing an employee recognition letter—preferably by hand. Make sure to be specific about the specific achievements you are recognizing and why they matter to the company. Use positive language, be personal and genuine in tone, and show appreciation and gratitude for their efforts.
2. Make a personalized employee recognition certificate.
Seems trivial, but when your employee goes above and beyond, give them an old-school employee recognition certificate they can post at their desk for all to see.
Don’t have an in-house graphic designer? No problem. You can buy employee recognition certificates at an office supply store or online.
3. Award a recognition plaque.
For extra-special recognition, including milestone anniversaries, take recognition to the next level with an employee recognition plaque. There are lots of online retailers who will personalize the plaque with your company’s logo and the employee’s name.
4. Give positive feedback in meetings.
It’s one thing to congratulate employees on a job well done in a private e-mail or a one-on-one meeting. It’s quite another thing to give positive feedback in front of their peers.
When it makes sense, sing your team member’s praises when other people are around. Peer recognition is important, and it makes you look good, too. Of course, if the individual is uncomfortable with public feedback, sharing it privately will be a better strategy.
5. Use employee feedback tools.
Recognition doesn’t always have to be top-down. Sometimes, recognition can pack an even bigger punch when it comes from colleagues.
By investing in employee feedback tools, you can create a feedback-driven culture where everyone is encouraged to recognize the hard work of others on a regular basis. Our TINYpulse by WebMD Health Services Cheers for Peers tool allows employees to publicly recognize and thank their colleagues for outstanding contributions by sending them a virtual pat on the back.
6. Mix it up with gift cards and physical rewards.
A $25, $50, or $100 gift card to Amazon, a grocery store, or a local restaurant is a relatively easy and affordable way to strengthen your employee recognition program.
Keep in mind, however, that you don’t want to only give your team monetary awards to show your appreciation. Gift cards should be just one tool in your company’s employee recognition arsenal.
7. Take your team out and share a meal.
Everyone needs to eat, so consider taking your team out for a meal. Depending on the circumstances, it could be a mid-week lunch, a fancy dinner at the end of the quarter, or a formal holiday party.
8. Let employees take an extra day off.
When employees accomplish something great, reward them with an extra day away from the office. They can use that time however they want—hanging out with their families, relaxing on the couch, or catching up on extra sleep. They’ve earned it.
9. Take your team on a ‘field trip’.
Employee recognition doesn’t have to be confined to the office.
You can say thank you to your employees by planning a group outing. It could be a speaking event, local conference, public park, a sporting event, or a local museum—the choice is yours!
10. Give a shout-out on social media.
Employee recognition doesn’t have to stay within company walls, either.
Recognize your team’s hard work with a mention on workplace social media or LinkedIn. It’s an easy and affordable way to make sure plenty of people know how much you appreciate your staff.
11. Create a company Wall of Fame.
At WebMD Health Services, we believe that happy companies are capable of doing great things.
One way to build a happier company is by creating a Wall of Fame in a visible location in your office. Each month, add an employee’s photo to your Wall of Fame to recognize them publicly for their great contributions.
12. Give out company swag.
You can recognize your employees’ hard work by giving apparel, mugs, backpacks, etc. that are branded with your company logo.
13. Schedule a team community service project.
Consider an out of the office volunteer day as a way to recognize employees. This could be helping out at a food pantry, volunteering at a senior living community, or cleaning up the environment. Ask team members for input about the causes they care about. Not only will this activity give employees a day off from work, it’s also a way to strengthen team bonds.
14. Write a thank-you sticky note.
It’s simple, yet effective: Spend a few minutes writing some quick words of praise on sticky notes and post them in your employees’ workspaces.
A few kind words can go a long way toward inspiring your team.
15. Make a charitable donation on your employee’s behalf.
Don’t underestimate the power of company matching donations to causes your employees care about.
According to Fidelity Charitable, employees want to feel good about where they work, and increasingly want to align their career choices with their values by working for employers who give back.
16. Hand out a company trophy.
Create a unique company trophy and award it to a high-performing employee for a period of time. Then, ask that awardee to pass the trophy to an individual they feel is deserving of it. It’s a great way to both recognize employees who go above and beyond and build camaraderie on teams.
17. Invest in professional development.
Today’s employees, and younger employees in particular, care a great deal about professional development. In fact, many look to whether a company offers professional development opportunities when considering where to work. Yet, according to SHRM, 29 percent of employees don’t feel optimistic about the opportunities they have for training, upskilling or learning new skills. Reward your high achievers with additional development opportunities throughout the year to keep them engaged.
18. Share recognition in all-employee forums.
As we mentioned before, there’s nothing quite like getting recognition in front of your peers. Let all-hands meetings, town halls, workplace social media, and team building events be forums for regularly recognizing employees’ good work.
19. If your workforce is fully onsite, consider a remote day every now and then.
The pandemic showed us that most workers are able to be productive working remotely. Although many employers have asked employees to come back into the office five days a week, various studies show that employers who offer hybrid work see better engagement, retention and satisfaction. So, consider rewarding top performers with the flexibility to work remotely on occasion.
20. Allow your team to work on special projects.
Working on the same kinds of projects and tasks can become monotonous. That’s why Google makes it a practice to encourage employees to spend 20% of their time working on side projects. If you can’t allow this organization-wide, let passion projects become a reward for high performance. It’s an easy way to inspire your team, while helping them develop new skills.
Learn more about how TINYpulse by WebMD Health Services can help your organization improve its employee recognition and rewards program. To see TINYpulse in action, book a demo.
