There have been many studies and blog posts written about the importance of appreciating and recognizing employees in the workplace. All employees like to be recognized and appreciated for the work they do for their employer. Employee recognition programs provide an opportunity to recognize and thank team employees and fellow coworkers for their dedication, contributions, and commitment to the job, the team, and the overall company.
Employee recognition programs are a great thing to have established in a company, but so is the habit of identifying and giving recognition to an individual, in a timely and genuine matter. We have heard it many times, employees rather hear a supervisor or peer’s acknowledgment on the spot in a more personal manner, rather than making a big deal out of things later in front of other people. Although that may not be the case for every employee, that is what we have noticed from the surveys we have conducted for our team.
Fostering a Culture of Recognition
Transparency and honest conversations are part of our culture. This has allowed us to be truly open and discuss our company and team’s wants and needs when it comes to celebrating our wins and giving recognition when its deserved. Open conversations amongst all levels of the company have allowed our team to be more receptive to identifying opportunities to recognize when an employee or fellow team member should be recognized for a job well done.
Workplace recognition motivates and provides a sense of accomplishment that makes employees feel valued for their work. Recognition not only helps boost individual employee engagement, but it has been found to increase productivity and loyalty to the company, therefore, leading to higher retention.
According to a recent Gallup workplace survey, the most memorable type of recognition comes from direct supervisors — 28% of employees surveyed said their most memorable recognition came from their managers, followed by 24% who said that their most memorable recognition came from a high-level leader or CEO.
“I think recognizing each other for the people we are and the work we’re doing is essential to our success. It’s so important not only to recognize the ‘achievements’ but also small, everyday behaviors that otherwise go unnoticed. ‘Hey, I appreciate you listening to me earlier,’ or ‘great job following up with that client’ are small ways to show appreciation and inspire pride. Those little moments, along with the more structured 15Fives, make us a little stronger and happier as a team.” — Brian Glassman, Marketing Director
Finding the right tools for your team
Here at Solid Digital, we have different ways in which our team gives out recognition. We have built in a lot of places in which the opportunity of recognizing someone is available. In our meeting agendas, we include a section for “Highlights” and “Good News” where people have the opportunity to share and recognize someone.
The opportunity also comes during our team stand ups and our monthly celebratory lunches. However, our team’s favorite tool is 15Five. 15Five is a performance management and engagement software that our team uses to track weekly goals, a place to voice concerns, plan for 1-1 discussions with supervisors, and much more. , However, our team’s favorite feature about 15Five is the opportunity to share “High Fives”.
“15five is a great tool for praising your team members and reflecting on the week’s accomplishments. It’s a simple yet effective way to let others know you appreciate their hard work.” – Chelsea Cumings, Project Manager
We have integrated 15Five to a channel on our company Slack to actively give out recognition to employees and team members in real time, and even though we often share recognition via emails, during meetings, and other channels on Slack. The 15Five High Five channel is what our team focuses on.
It is nice to see that in our organization we don’t limit the recognition to only supervisors, or directors. Our team understands the value that recognition brings to our culture, and to each member of our team. Having a tool like 15Five has helped us reinforced habits that ultimately make our culture stronger, and allow us to feel comfortable with giving recognition when it’s due.
“It’s easy to get caught up in work and not reflect on how your teammates have been helping and participating. Once a week High Fives makes you stop and think about the noteworthy actions of the people around you.” – Peter Ajtai, Solutions Architect
Having locations on opposites sides of the country may seem like a difficult task to incorporate company-wide recognition, but tools like 15Five and Slack, have helped our team connect and have a sense of companywide recognition efforts. You will often see cross-departmental recognition and most importantly cross-office recognition.
Our team believes in the value of recognition, because it makes us a stronger team, it encourages us to continue doing the right thing, and reinforces, our values and the habits that we want to instill in our culture and organization.
