Day 8 – Wednesday, March 25
It’s the middle of the work week but with social distancing, all the days seem to mesh together. I’ve fallen into a routine now – daily check-in with the marketing team at 8:30am, working till I realize I’ve skipped breakfast which is followed by countless trips to the fridge hoping food magically appears. Inside secret…it never does.
As we continue to progress through this work from home lifestyle, I’ve seen countless of my coworkers online late into the evening because time slips away in the comfort of our own homes. Managers and leadership have also realized this and have been recognizing the dedication of individuals or teams on our own intranet platform. Public accolades have become more and more prominent as leadership acknowledges all the hard work.
Employee appreciation is an important human necessity at the workplace. Recognition helps employees know that their work and efforts are acknowledged and appreciated. As companies grow in size, leadership must think about the added value to the employee experience and especially to the recognition program.
What is Employee Recognition?
Employee recognition is the acknowledgement of an individual’s or team’s contributions that supports an organization’s goals and values beyond expectations. Humans respond to appreciation through recognition of their good work because it confirms their work is valued by others. Praise, kudos, and even a simple acknowledgement are essential to an exceptional workplace.
Why is Employee Recognition Important
Organizations tend to look at the big picture: achieving goals, hitting sales quota and making sure the company is profitable. Oftentimes, the people who make that happen are forgotten.
In fact, Harvard Business School reported that more than 80% of American employees say they do not feel recognized or rewarded. When an employee’s work is valued – their productivity, happiness and work ethic rises and they’re more motivated to build upon their good work.
Benefits of Employee Recognition
Employee recognition is important because it increases the level of productivity at work, reduces the employee turnover, and improves company culture.
- Increased productivity – Employee recognition is a direct correlation to productivity. If an individual sees that their work is being acknowledged, they want to go above and beyond to meet the same goal if not more.
- Higher employee satisfaction – Recognized employees are happy employees. When employees feel appreciated by their employer, they are more likely to engage and build connections throughout the organization.
- Improve company culture – An engaged employee is connected to a company’s mission. By recognizing employee’s hard work, its reinforcing the values of an organization which leads to its success.
- Decreased turnover – Research shows that engaged employees are less likely to leave their organization. When an organization decreases turnover, they save the time, money and human resources it would have cost to find, hire, and train a new employee.
How to Recognize Employees
Happy and engaged employees would bring in not only positive energy to the workplace but also increase the company’s profit and brand value. Acknowledge employees in the company’s newsletter, in all-hands or on the company’s intranet in front of the organization and their peers. Managers and leaders should be alert for opportunities to recognize their team and acknowledge why and how their work contributes to the overall success of an organization.
Subscribe to our Work from Home Diary Series:
Read through Simpplr’s work from home diary blog series and learn how you can maintain workplace culture during this mandated work from home time.
Day 1: Shift to Work from Home
Day 2: How Employees Can Stay Focused
Day 3: How to Work from Home with Kids
Day 4: Work from Home Setup Tips & Ideas
Day 5: Engage Your Remote Employees with Fun Social Activities
Day 6: Technology Toolkit Guide to Remote Work
Day 7: 10 Ways to keep Remote Work Sane
