Build a Recognition Culture

Annual reviews, sales incentives, and the occasional compliment are not what make up a meaningful recognition culture. And yet, these are the things most companies do and then wonder why employees aren’t engaged. In order to truly implement a recognition culture, leadership needs to rethink what works.

Let’s start with why recognition matters. We’ve seen information over time about employees being disengaged, feeling undervalued, and leaving their jobs for reasons other than pay. Employees telegraph how they feel about their relationship with their employer. They want to feel like they are contributing to something meaningful. They want to feel valued. Many want autonomy, advancement opportunities, or more responsibility. Others may want flexibility with their schedule and/or location. Employers should be paying attention.

Notice I shared that the reasons to create a recognition culture had nothing to do with increasing pay. Recognition is not limited to pay raises. So, employers should consider the idea that it is more cost-effective to implement a recognition culture than to ignore the idea. If leaders think that all their employees want is more money, they are missing out on opportunities to improve morale and keep stellar staff.

So, what does it take to create and maintain a recognition culture? The first thing is to realize that recognition is only meaningful when the employee feels the impact. A great example of this is a sales incentive that offers a trip to California for the person who sells the most during the quarter. That only feels like recognition, and is only motivating if all of the salespeople want a trip to California. Some might prefer paid time off in town, or money, depending on where they are in their life. When leadership creates these kinds of incentive/recognition programs they leave themselves open to the plan backfiring. Instead of feeling valued the employees could feel misunderstood.

Keys to a Successful Program

Recognition should be intentional and meaningful. Instead of deciding you know what kind of recognition the employees would value, why not ask them? To ensure a successful program, include the employees in the creation. Even informal recognition will need to be intentional. One of the worst things we can do is start a program only to have it fall off. That just tells the employees that it was never a serious policy to begin with.

Consider the following aspects of recognition when creating your program:

1. Criteria: It may be necessary to have different criteria for different areas of business operation. This is pretty common. Break the strategy down into department segments to ensure meaningful criteria are applied. Be sure to connect the recognition topics to the company values and ensure that they are objective and specific. It should be easy for anyone, including a stranger, to understand what is measured for recognition. At the same time, the reasons for recognition should be equal to the reward. Moreover, opportunities should be available to all qualified employees.

2. Types: Identify specifically what the recognition program will include. Will it be an announcement, a perk, an event, an award/trophy? Will the employee have an opportunity to select from a handful of options? This is a part of the process where it is critical to gain employee input to ensure the types of recognition are meaningful. This is also something that can evolve over time.

3. Process: Clearly define the process. How will people be evaluated? How frequently will certain types of recognition be offered? There will probably be a variety here. Who has the authority to provide recognition? There is real value in peer-to-peer recognition programs as well as up and down the hierarchy. Of course, different segments of staff may have different processes and structure. And, how will the recognition be provided to the employee? Once again, this will vary depending on the processes created.

When a specific, easy to follow program is created and implemented, it’s critical that there is follow-through. Be intentional in your efforts to make sure people are recognized through the process created. Once your staff realizes this is real, it will grow. Commit to not only creating the recognition culture, but working to maintain it. Nothing is in granite. All programs require evaluation and adaptation over time to be sure they remain relevant.

Remember why the recognition culture is so very valuable for your organization. When people feel seen, valued, and appreciated, they are not only more productive — they contribute more to the success of the company in ways that go beyond their role and responsibilities. They feel connected to the outcomes. And, more good employees will stay instead of leave in search of a better experience.

About the author: Diane Helbig is an international business and leadership change agent, author, award-winning speaker, podcast host and web TV channel host. As president of Helbig Enterprises, she helps businesses and organizations operate more constructively and profitably. She can be reached via email at [email protected].