"Implementing a strong framework for employee recognition is a key part of keeping talent long term."
Employee recognition is more than just handing out Amazon gift cards and saying “good job.” With many workers no longer standing for subpar working environments, employee recognition has become more crucial than ever in supporting talent and developing long term working relationships. You’ll come to find employee recognition, when done well, strengthens teams and trickles down in the long run to create positive and effective work environments.
Understand Employee Recognition
A key element in recognizing your employees is understanding them as individuals. With this in mind, you will be able to create a framework for employee recognition that feels realistic to implement. This framework will also make the recognition feel personal to your employees. You may find certain employees love when the spotlight is cast upon them, however, others may hate it. Try to strike a balance in the delivery of your recognition when creating your framework.
Events and routines
Events are a great way to start your employee recognition framework. Populating your calendar with employees’ birthdays can be a great way to remind yourself to send individuals a personalized birthday message or celebrate as a team. How you choose to celebrate employee birthdays is entirely up to you. Here at Wildgoose we celebrate birthdays via our #allstaff channel on Slack and create virtual cards for the team to sign.
Make communication a habit
A great way to truly engage with your employees and show your recognition is to make a habit out of communicating your appreciation. Reaching out to your employees when they’ve completed a task that has helped a project progress is a great example. A simple email or message expressing your gratitude for their efforts goes a long way. It also sets a precedence for when these employees progress in their respective roles. They’ll remember how this frequent recognition encouraged them and be inclined to implement that into their own management styles.
Verbal communication is another great way to recognize employees’ efforts. It could be as simple as saying “thank you for your hard work on this,” during your next Zoom meeting. Many of our team make a point to praise each other during their professional highlight of the week in our Friday meetings. However you choose to do it, recognizing your team members often through written and verbal communication is a fantastic way to keep your workplace a positive and driven place.
Celebrate milestones
Work anniversaries, the end of large projects and quarterly reviews are just a few of the ways to milestones together and recognize the efforts of the team. In our experience, sharing team members’ work anniversaries is a great morale booster. Team members feel appreciated for their contributions and excited about the progression of their role with Wildgoose.
There’s little risk in recognizing employees’ contributions and skills. Implementing a strong framework for employee recognition is a key part of keeping talent long term. When teams feel supported by their line managers, they’re more likely to stick with a company they feel will help them grow in their role. This means that employee recognition is an essential part of investing in your company’s growth.
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