The Benefits of Employee Recognition

It has become a well-known fact that every individual appreciates recognition for their hard work. Some employers assume that the way to recognize an employee is through monetary reward. However, there are many other forms of recognition as well. It is important to find the type of rewards and recognition system that employees respond best to. Even in a remote or hybrid setting, it is vital to find a way to give real-time recognition to create the most successful work environment possible. A consistent flow of employee recognition, from supervisors as well as coworkers, will transfer into the workplace and lead to a more cohesive work environment. Here are five of the most important benefits of employee recognition in the workplace.

How Employee Recognition Benefits the Workplace

1. Employees become motivated to work harder

Knowing that hard work will pay off through recognition and reward is highly likely to motivate your employees. According to Glassdoor, 81% of employees will work harder if their boss shows appreciation. With an increase in extrinsic motivation from the company, individuals will have a greater sense of intrinsic motivation as well.

This comes from scientific research on the expectancy theory. This theory explains that motivation related to reward requires that employees believe three things: their effort will lead to successful performance, a successful performance will allow them to achieve some outcome (reward), and that reward will be of value to them. As a manager, it is important to discover what employees value, and utilize that information to create the best reward system possible.

2. Prevent Burnout

Nowadays, burnout has become a large stressor in the workplace. There is no singular cause, or fix, but it can greatly affect the way employees are able to accomplish tasks. Some of the many known causes are a dysfunctional workplace and cyclical work. Thankfully, both of these can be greatly impacted by employee recognition. A dysfunctional work environment does not promote good work. Management should use employee recognition to appreciate their employees, it creates a more conducive atmosphere for working.

Recognition can also help break up an employee’s cyclical routine. Pausing everyday work to receive recognition breaks up a day with a burst of positivity. Hearing that you are doing a good job while doing tasks that may not feel like they make a difference provides motivation to keep going. This ultimately helps prevent burnout by giving a surprise motivational factor every now and then.

3. Employees are more productive

Creating an incentive of recognition for your employees encourages them to work more diligently. This will lead to an increase in productivity, which means more success for your team. The idea of productivity goes hand in hand with working hard. The more employees are recognized for their hard work, the more employees will be working hard. If more employees are working hard, more work will be done. If more work is done in a period of time, more successful outcomes will also happen. Along with this, as employees become more motivated, they are more energized to think creatively and improve processes that will bring more efficiency to company processes. Creativity leads to greater innovation which, in turn, helps the company grow immensely. These chain reactions are all possible when employees are recognized by their employers and peers.

4. Promotes teamwork and openness

Having a good peer-to-peer recognition system, along with a 360-degree feedback culture, will allow colleagues to help acknowledge and recognize one another’s hard work. Everyone loves receiving a compliment from their boss but receiving one from a colleague is also very beneficial for employees. It motivates employees to be more willing to help, which is promoting teamwork within the work environment.

Teamwork is incredibly important to foster in the workplace, regardless of the type of company. An environment that allows individuals to use their own talents and gifts to complete their tasks and assist others is going to be successful. Teamwork also helps individuals feel as though they play an important role within the company. Being open to supporting others will ultimately help the team be more efficient and productive. A good recognition system helps employees do so, since they know everyone appreciates those efforts.

5. Creates better relationships with employees

Recognizing your employees goes past acknowledging their daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. It is also important to recognize that they are people who also have a life outside of their job. Checking in with your employees is a great way to get to know them, as well as understand their work-life balance.

Beginning each conversation with a genuine interest in how your employees are doing will make it clear that you care about their well-being and promote good culture within the organization. While employers tend to reach out to employees when they are either having struggles or great success, making an effort to show interest regardless of the status of their work will help create a better relationship with them. Employees appreciate being recognized when they are having a difficult time. However, you will not know if they are unless you ask.

This will be especially important for rapidly growing organizations, where employees can often feel unappreciated and demotivated. In these particular environments, the impact of continuous recognition can be even greater and bring about enormous change in the productivity and success of your team.

How to Implement a Peer Recognition Program

Now that you know the benefits of employee recognition, find the right system and go for it! The sooner you start, the better for you and your team. It is easy to find and use a good platform, whether your team is in person or online. Platforms such as Tap My Back allow a team to give and receive feedback, as well as give recognition to a team member who is doing a great job. Receiving acknowledgment from a coworker not only shows an individual that their work is valuable to the team, but also that their management believes in maintaining a positive and uplifting work environment. Want to learn more?