Wanting recognition for completing work above and beyond the minimum requirement is a natural human need. Financial rewards and praise for average work can only go so far. In order to continue to receive above average work, you must be willing to give above average recognition. There are 5 aspects to think about to provide satisfactory employee recognition to your above average employees:
- In the moment – Timeliness is key; acknowledging good efforts is most effective when it is done as soon as it is recognized.
- In context – Relating your employee recognition to a specific business goal is more effective than recognition for the sake of recognition. Tying their efforts to a common goal not only lets them know you appreciate them, it also lets them know they played an active part in the progress of the organization.
- Appropriate in volume and scale – It’s pretty straightforward: the recognition you give out should match in scale to the effort given by the employee. Praise for coming to work on a weekend should rightfully be more than praise for showing up five minutes early on Monday, for example.
- Authentic, not automatic – Employees can tell if your recognition is authentic or just generic. To avoid this generic feeling, try recognizing employees in person, such as during a meeting, rather than just through email or newsletter.
- Tied to the employee’s perception of value – Make sure that your employees believe they are valued as much as the company truly values them. Don’t let their impression be skewed by too much or too little recognition, especially if it is the improper type, such as a pay increase for something that shouldn’t be financially rewarded.
Recognizing employees is a necessity for employee engagement. Keep your employees engaged and motivated to go above and beyond by molding your recognition techniques into these 5 aspects.
