If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve seen some of the incredible research the O.C. Tanner Institute has released on employee recognition. When done correctly, employee recognition boosts engagement, increases longevity, and lowers attrition costs.
Most employers strive to provide employee recognition, but these seven recognition techniques will make your recognition program shine.
1. Give Specific Recognition Feedback
The first recognition technique is to provide specific, clear feedback. This technique is missed too often and is one of the reasons for the gap between employer and employee views of recognition. Most employers believe they utilize a recognition program, a view shared by a minority of employees.
It’s obvious that employers believe they are recognizing employees, but the message isn’t being received.
The reason some recognition fails to move and inspire employees is because it is general or generic recognition. Telling someone they did a great job yesterday is much less effective than telling them that you appreciate how diligently they worked to answer M. Customer’s question yesterday.
The more specific the recognition, the clearer you communicate what it is that the recipient did that impressed you.
Many managers give general feedback or a generic “thank you!” because they failed to observe specific things an employee did or to stop and articulate it to the employee. A simple “thank you” is easier to give than specific feedback. It can almost be given absentmindedly.
Take the time to articulate, verbally or in writing, specific things the employee did to be recognized. This tells the employee exactly what they can do to impress you again. And, most people want to impress. That’s why specific recognition feedback is effective in creating positive change.
2. Provide Timely Recognition Feedback
Recognition should be given immediately after the behavior is observed or as soon as you know about it.
Sadly, recognition has a shelf life and it’s not very long. That doesn’t mean that just because it’s been a couple of days, you don’t need to give recognition. Any positive recognition is better than no recognition.
But, the time for recognition is as soon as possible. Once an employee has gone above and beyond, the effectiveness of the recognition for that effort decreases as each day passes.
Annual recognition often leaves a bad taste in employees’ mouths when that is the only time they are recognized for their efforts.
Too often the recognition that employees get during the annual review sandwiches feedback around how they can improve. This negates the recognition because the recognition is outdated, often generic, and the main purpose is to suggest improvements the employee can make.
Give employees recognition frequently and quickly. If you see them doing something great, tell them- right away. It can boost their morale, lighten their load, and give encouragement when they are discouraged. Further, timely recognition helps employees feel that they belong, both at their employment, in their teams, and in their position.
3. Give Regular Recognition
The third recognition technique is to provide regular and frequent recognition. Not only should recognition be timely, but it should be frequent. Although Gallup surveys employees to see if they’ve been recognized in the last 7 days, a week is often not frequent enough for employees.
An employee who received a single “great job” or “thank you” in the course of a week may frequently feel discouraged.
Recognition needs to be frequent. It needs to be consistent. And, it needs to be ongoing. 51% of millennials say that recognition should be given frequently and on the job.
Gallup found that frequent, regular recognition helps organizations by providing greater agility, increased excellence, and retaining talent better.
4. Involve Everyone (Especially Peers)
It’s not usually sustainable for only managers to give the amount and quality of recognition that all their employees need. That’s why peer recognition is so powerful.
Not only can peer recognition mean more to employees than top-down recognition, but it’s usually more frequent, timelier, and more specific than manager-led recognition. That doesn’t mean managers shouldn’t strive toward more effective recognition.
It does mean that if you aren’t harnessing the power of peer recognition, you are missing a valuable opportunity.
Peer recognition has the power to immediately change an employee’s perspective, help them feel like they belong, and greatly influence their efforts. But, peer recognition is even more valuable than that.
This recognition technique acts as a double-edged sword. It improves both the employee receiving and the employee giving the recognition. It provides a dual improvement in engagement and a sense of belonging. Peer recognition may possibly be the single most important recognition technique that effective organizations utilize.
5. Lean Toward Non-monetary
In the traditional world or recognition, monetary or physical prizes are thought to be the “shining star” of recognition. But, today’s workforce doesn’t value physical prizes the same as in times past. Not only does a physical prize decrease the frequency of the recognition (and can delay the timeliness), it can have a negative effect on employees. Studies show that prizes and rewards can actually decrease performance over time.
Try this recognition ninja tip by offering intangible recognition awards instead of monetary awards. Extra time off, trust to head up a big project, or the ability to speak frankly without retribution are non-monetary benefits that employees value more than a cash prize.
Millennials talk a lot about the value of experiences over material things. But, they aren’t the only generation that values intangible awards. If you are looking for a few intangible ideas, consider an afternoon off, a flexible hour, an adventure experience, or increased responsibility.
6. Encourage Autonomy and Ownership
Encouraging and allowing autonomy is a critical recognition technique. Autonomy isn’t often thought of as a recognition technique, but it’s critical for good recognition because employees that feel like robots don’t internalize recognition. They don’t feel ownership of their performance.
When employees have increased autonomy, they feel greater ownership of their responsibilities and recognition means more to them.
O.C. Tanner found that autonomy is a fundamental ingredient for peak experiences at work. Giving employees choices matters and allowing them to make decisions around how they accomplish their goals provides opportunities for “in the flow” experiences that solidify their passion for their jobs.
Autonomy can be used both as a means for greater employee development and as a recognition award. Providing greater autonomy to employees who have proven themselves speaks greatly to the trust you have in them. It is a greater effector on their work satisfaction than a bonus, trophy, or gift card.
7. Recognition in Corporate Storytelling
Nearly every employee recognition advice includes the need to tie recognition to company goals. (this is a slam on the award.co article haha) But, a more effective recognition technique is to use recognition to tell the company story.
Recognizing employees for a profitable quarter doesn’t speak to today’s workforce. Today’s employees care about the impact they have on the world more than about profitability. They were raised to be more skeptical of corporate initiatives.
But, successful companies improve lives. It’s up to you to tell that story to employees. When an employee does a great job, tell the story of how they helped the client or partner. Show the impact on others your employees have.
Being in business isn’t just about profits, or your company would cheat, steal and lie to get profits. It’s about the impact you have on your community. It’s about the services you provide.
Tie the company impact and the story of how they make a difference to the story of how an individual employee made a difference. Tell the story of how an employee made a difference to a team member. Tell the story of how the employee made a difference to another department.
Storytelling in recognition can speak to employees in a way that other recognition can’t.
Conclusion
These seven recognition techniques interweave with the Thanks recognition platform. Thanks make it easy, fast, and simple to recognize employees and to get them involved in recognizing each other (our top ninja technique). Recognition can be given timely, often, and sincerely without taking away or distracting from other projects.
To find out more, schedule a few minutes to see that Thanks Platform in action!
About Thanks
Thanks is a leading provider of a recognition-based platform that increases communication, builds teamwork, and makes recognition a part of company culture. Fast, easy and simple Thanks makes it easy to bring data-driven employee recognition to your entire organization. O.C. Tanner purchased the Thanks platform in 2019 to fulfill the recognition needs of smaller businesses.
Thanks customers benefit from the same decades of research in employee motivation and company culture that O.C. Tanner enterprise clients enjoy, but in a product that is geared for fast, easy and simple deployment. Whether you’re starting a recognition program or improving and expanding on what you already have, Thanks has everything you need to engage your people with effective, scalable recognition.