5 non-negotiables for recognition

As managers fine-tune their goals and implement their plans for a successful 2018, there will be several who overlook the use of employee recognition to engage and motivate employees to end-of-year success. 

But no matter the business industry, internal challenges or external climate, a solidly crafted recognition program, coupled with a knowledgeable and caring manager, can make all the difference to a company’s results.

Smart managers understand the power of these five recognition non-negotiables to attain their goals and keep people happy:

Recognize their own gaps: Managers should be honest and access their own recognition knowledge and style. Are they doing it frequently enough? Are they being sincere when they do? Is it timely? Is it specific? These are the questions (among others) they should ask themselves to help translate their employees’ contributions into meaningful moments of appreciation.

Recognize employees correctly: Make recognition a part of the daily routine. Leaders should think about employee recognition as they would daily hygiene. Initially, people may have to be trained on how to do it correctly (yes, there are right and wrong ways to recognize people), but if practised enough, this will eventually become habit.

Recognize and appreciate people’s diversity and contributions: Often times, managers think employee recognition can be done by simply buying a cake for an employee’s birthday or giving her a gift on her employment anniversary date. While those things are important and have a place in an employee recognition strategy, they are not the things that are going to engage employees to work harder.

Aligning words with actions in a timely and sincere manner buys more engagement from employees than a watch from a catalogue ever will. Employees want to know their manager “sees” them and their contributions. They want to know their manager values the diversity they bring to the team.

This is the fundamental aspect of any good recognition program, and is paramount to engaging and retaining top talent. But remember, it’s about “quality versus quantity,” as too much recognition can be seen as insincere and lose its effectiveness, and can even jeopardize the culture leaders are trying to build.

Use data analytics: The science and strategy of employee recognition is a match made in employee engagement heaven. Big data or data analytics has permeated most industries, so it’s about using recognition data to identify managers who do employee recognition well, identify managers who need improvement, and providing specific tools and training opportunities to bridge those gaps.

Make it a strategic contribution: If a company’s employee recognition program is not included as a key business objective, it is missing a major piece of the overall strategic plan. Engagement from employees through a well-designed, management or employee relationship-focused and culturally integrated recognition system will play a major role in helping a company hit its key performance indicators.

Smart managers understand the connection between their relationship with employees and the company’s bottom line. An employee’s immediate manager represents the company to most employees. It is important that managers realize how important they are to that culture and to the success of their company.

Of course, there are more than five things to know about employee recognition, but if employers make sure these five areas are well-covered, they will be on their way to making people feel appreciated. In turn, they will perform better than ever.