Celebrate Your Employees

Frequent acknowledgement of employees is a key ingredient to improving performance and engagement in employee recognition programs within companies.

Here Are Some Interesting Statistics About Employee Recognition:

• A recent study by Harvard Business School revealed in January 2020 that "more than 80 percent of American employees say they do not feel recognized or rewarded, despite the fact that U.S. companies are spending more than a fifth of their budgets on wages" (humanresourcestoday.com).
• An employee recognition program is strong, but employees just being aware of the program doesn't make a difference when it comes to improving their behaviour and engagement levels (humanresourcestoday.com).
• Employee recognition can be short lived, and so in order to have a significant impact on employee engagement and morale, employers need to offer frequent acknowledgement of their efforts (humanresourcestoday.com).

What Really Matters?

What really matters in any organization is to ensure that employees feel appreciated. Employee recognition programs in Ontario do not have to be expensive, but they do have to be meaningful. Frequent employee recognition is what matters most, and this can come in the form of verbal appreciation during a meeting, written recognition in a weekly newsletter, daily thank you notes to employees, and monthly employee recognition gifts such as company logo apparel or jewellery or crystal plaques, and the list goes on. The bottom line is frequent recognition will improve productivity and engagement.

Recognition is a valuable tool, not a time consuming venture. Employee recognition and employee service recognition should be met with ease and frequency once an employer establishes an efficient program. When employee service recognition programs are thoughtful, appropriate, and done well, they ultimately motivate and inspire employees.

It's important to note that employee recognition programs in Ontario are not designed just for high achieving employees. Employee recognition programs are for everyone in any organization. In a study done by the University of Southern California, over 40% of millenials expect recognition for their work at least monthly, which may seem high and self-focused, but the reality is that it's only 10% higher than non-millenials (workstride.com). Everyone matters. Employees need to feel valued and be adequately recognized for their contributions to any organization. An employee who does not feel valued is an employee who is always hoping and looking for another job.  

Both new and seasoned employees should be recognized. New and seasoned employees will both benefit from the same kinds of recognition, while at the same time celebrating loyal employees with service awards. It requires little effort to inspire and engage employees. When an employee simply receives a paycheque, it can lead to them feeling disengaged and unmotivated to go beyond their daily tasks. A Boston Consulting Group study disclosed that being appreciated for one's job is the number one reason that employees are happy at work (workstride.com).

A successful employee recognition program is one that values the importance of saying "thank you." An organization should never underestimate the value of recognizing its employees!