Engagement and employee recognition are red-hot discussed topics among business leaders these days. With high attrition rates across various Industries and employees shifting companies often, the need for better engagement strategies—and, by extension, recognition—is more significant than ever. Deciding on a recognition platform should be based on the level of employee engagement initiatives at your company.
Engagement is just how much an employee is willing to invest in their work at a company, usually distinct from their pay rate and benefits. If an employee feels disengaged and unhappy, their work will suffer. Conversely, they’ll perform better at every level if they’re happy. That’s why you must promptly roll out a recognition platform at your organization. Here are five tips for a successful employee recognition rollout.
What is an Employee Recognition Platform?
Recognition systems are typically loaded with valuable features. These include nomination/voting tools, rewards, social media integration, peer-to-peer recognition, continuous feedback, surveys, and analytics. Analytics lets management see how well the system is working while also letting them put their finger on the pulse of what’s happening at the organization. Furthermore, recognition platforms can be easy to celebrate anniversaries—including sending personalized cards, congratulatory emails, and planning a celebration—and milestones.
Recognition platforms allow managers to quickly and easily identify top performers and celebrate their successes while simultaneously giving employees the power to see their success.
Developing an Employee Recognition Strategy
Remember that a happy employee is productive, and these factors contribute significantly to boosting morale. Developing an employee recognition strategy isn’t always straightforward. It begins with understanding what motivates employees and how to interact with them in meaningful ways. Design your program around making it easier to help people feel appreciated and like they’re contributing to something meaningful. Help them feel accomplished and understand how their work ultimately benefits the organization to find success in all its endeavors. Decide on what types of rewards to offer through your recognition program and how they will be used to commemorate milestones/significant achievements. Finally, decide on using a pre-existing platform or building one of your own.
Celebrating Anniversaries
Work anniversaries can be fun for employees and business owners and should not be overlooked. Work anniversary celebrations are an excellent way to show off your company culture and care for your workers. They can be fun and meaningful and offer a reprieve from a challenging project. Birthdays, work anniversaries, new clients, and project completions can make for meaningful celebrations. They’re casual and build camaraderie among entire teams. Celebrating Anniversaries helps managers recognize team achievements, build stronger teams, and motivate them to perform at high levels. Whether you’re hosting a special event, distributing gift cards, or providing special privileges, work anniversaries are an integral part of any recognition program at your company.
Working With Getting Employees On Board
Employees of your organization should be involved with the design, launch, and development of your recognition platform. Employees should have the ability to choose who’s being recognized and why. That way, the recognition is genuine and prompt and is provided by the employee for genuine reasons. Rewards should also be appropriate for the employees, so it’s a good idea to pull the staff and involve them in deciding what kind of rewards will be offered. Not everybody will want a cash bonus (although that can be very effective). Sometimes employees might desire time off as a reward, gift cards for their favorite restaurants/coffee places, or even different types of rewards that might be unique (including apparel). Finally, employers need to effectively communicate how the recognition program works and benefits them to make sure everyone at the organization is willing to use it at the appropriate times.
Choosing the Right Technology Platform
When designing and implementing an employee recognition solution at your company, it’s best to go with a reputable organization. Industry leaders in the field, like Workhuman, offer various comprehensive solutions you can cherry-pick to suit your needs. To decide what kind of recognition you will try to attain at your organization, select your software platform appropriately. Are you going to need more peer-to-peer social recognition-style recognition? How about something that helps you celebrate anniversaries and milestones? Perhaps you need a platform for continuous performance management for frequent feedback. Sometimes you might require all of these. Whatever the case, a software solution is ready and available for you. All it takes is a little research, and an understanding of your business needs to find the right one for you.
