8 ideas to enhance the culture of recognition in your organization
As we know, the employee experience is at the center of modern organizations’ operations. Many of them carry out activities to support and promote a culture of recognition as an important part of their employee experience strategy. Fortunately, there are several simple steps that you can implement effortlessly in your organization that will spread a culture of recognition. Start to appreciate your employees for their contributions to the company!
Culture of recognition – how to make it right?
Did you know that 63% of employees would not look for a new job if they were appreciated? That’s a lot. Based on statistics, it can be concluded that recognition and retention are closely related, and therefore you should implement a culture of recognition in your organization. How can you do it?
Here are some useful tips that will help you implement a culture of recognition.
- Private or public acknowledgment
Start with the simplest steps to build a culture of recognition. Think about the language of communication that prevails in the company. Do employees often hear “thank you”? Promote the need to express gratitude daily and speak the language of recognition. Encourage your company’s managers and team leaders to take part in promoting a culture of recognition and appreciate their subordinates more, for example during team meetings, but also in person. A leader’s praise makes an employee more motivated. Sometimes all it takes is a simple gesture on the manager’s part – a thumbs up, a high-five, or just a positive message on a chat. Larger successes should also be announced and rewarded publicly during town halls or special company meetings.
- Score competition
If you have the right tools and capabilities, you can engage employees in point games. What does it mean? Every time employees do something exceptional, they can earn points redeemable for rewards. What can they excel at? For example, engagement in internal social media, the number of kudos they got, and participation in actions organized by the company. They can also be rewarded for their exceptional success by a superior. They will be able to exchange the points they collected for prizes of their choice – offer quite a selection of them.
- Kudos
This mysterious word from ancient Greek is becoming more and more popular. What does it mean? Cambridge Dictionary gives us a perfect definition – the public admiration that a person receives as a result of a particular achievement or position in society. Kudos in an organization can take many forms – it can be an email, as well as a virtual badge, or a thank you card published on internal social media. The public exchange of praises certainly boosts team morale, integrates the community, strengthens trust in colleagues, as well as supports a culture of recognition.
- Additional day off
You have to work hard and give 100 percent of yourself to gain huge success. Therefore, it is worth appreciating hard work of your employees! Reward them with an additional day off as a thank you gift for their excellent results. This will allow them to rest a little bit, gain strength, and willingly roll up their sleeves for future professional challenges.
- Anniversary gift
Appreciate employees’ loyalty! Reward their work anniversaries – prepare special diplomas and gifts for them. These can be company gadgets, but also gift cards for their favorite shops. Ensure talent retention and show others that you value your employees. That is a very important element of the culture of recognition.
- Monetary recognition
Sometimes just saying thank you is not enough. Recognize your employees financially as well, especially when their work allows you to gain new clients, new projects, and new sources of funding. That’s treating your employees fairly. Ideally, financial recognition should go hand in hand with non-financial recognition. It is always important to publicly recognize exceptional achievements.
- Annual awards gala
What do you think about holding a company awards gala like The Oscars? It’s a great idea to recognize employees, who can be nominated in various categories for the award by all other employees. Include such a gala in your annual culture of recognition strategy! By combining such a gala with a party, you will create a team-building event that your employees will never forget.
- Promotion
Last, but not least – promotion. Probably, this is the best way to express gratitude for merit and contribution to the company. Giving a promotion to a higher position is also an expression of trust and confidence in the employee’s capabilities. Along with the promotion, employees also receive a higher salary, as well as greater responsibility and autonomy. It’s worth appreciating employees and supporting their development – this will also keep them around for longer.
These are just a few of the ideas to thank employees for their contributions to the development and life of the company.
How does Workai support a culture of recognition?
Workai Connections module offers you gamification features thanks to which you can conduct score competitions. It also enables you to publish attractive kudos, or award your employees with virtual prizes. It’s worth creating a common space to express gratitude – that’s the first step to spreading the culture of recognition.