Employee recognition pays

According to HR blog, Snack Nation, acknowledging employee achievement can have serious ROI – to the tune of 50% higher productivity and as much as 20% increase in business outcomes.

They define employee recognition as being: all about acknowledging the hard work and accomplishments of the individuals and teams within your organisation. It’s about creating an emotional connection between employees and the company, all while supporting the work your employees do and staying authentic to the company’s values.

A great way to start is to recognise your staff as individuals; that they won’t all want to be celebrated the same way. So, poll your staff as they arrive on the types of recognition they would appreciate for their above-and-beyond efforts.

Ask them if they are okay with shared recognition across the staff, what their personal interests are and what they are passionate about as a cause. This leads to the following great ideas around how to reward your best players.

Use public recognition

Aside from a mention in the Monday morning meeting, profile your best performing staff on your social media platforms for the world to see. Take their photo in a specific spot within your building and outline why that have made all the difference this month to your external audiences.

Personalise rewards

Gain an understanding (see above advice around polling staff interests) on what they value in their personal lives and reward accordingly. For some it may be a voucher for entertainment – the movies, or for others a voucher to spend at a hardware store so they can enjoy their weekends at home. Recognition is so much sweeter when it’s tailor made.

Reward their chosen causes

A deeper personalisation can involve asking staff what causes are particularly close to their hearts. For us, it’s The Salvation Army, but your staff may have a particular preference of charity given their own life experiences. Another personalised way to reward staff in an intimate fashion is to make a donation to the cause that is closest to their heart.

Ultimately, the key thing to remember is that financial remuneration is only part of the equation. Your staff accepted their wage on signing their contract – you can make them love working for you in many different ways.