Employee Recognition Mistakes to Avoid

Employee recognition is essential to retaining your workforce and keeping them engaged. Making employees feel valued will increase both their satisfaction and productivity in their role. That’s why implementing employee recognition programs that include rewards and acknowledgment can be so beneficial.

But is your employee recognition program as effective as it could be? Here are some top mistakes to avoid as you build and develop your program.

1. Recognition Only From Managers and Not Peers

Many companies assume that employees only value recognition from their managers and other executive-level staff. While positive feedback from superiors is essential, employees also seek recognition from the people they work with closely every day, such as their coworkers and customers.

When your employees receive thanks and acknowledgment for helping peers and customers, this praise validates their importance to the team and motivates them to continue to put forth their best efforts.

2. Assuming How Employees Like to Be Recognized

The way your employees are recognized and rewarded should depend on their preferences. When you’re creating the program, take suggestions from your team. You can do things like create polls or surveys to determine what might be most effective for your team. By tailoring your recognition program to their preferences, you will make your employees feel more valued.

3. Using Only Cash Incentives

Cash incentives can be an excellent reward option in your recognition program, but it’s essential to diversify your offerings with non-cash incentives. When you focus solely on cash rewards, this creates a money-driven environment.

Recognition programs are an opportunity to create a stronger bond between you and your employees outside of the financial exchange, so try offering specific rewards you know your employees might like. For example, if your employees are sports fans, music lovers or moviegoers, tickets to an event could be a great option.

4. Making Performance the Only Metric for Reward

There are many qualities and behaviors that deserve recognition aside from quantitative performance. Things like effort, integrity and enthusiasm should also be rewarded. It’s also a good idea to link your company mission or principles to the recognition process to provide incentives for acting in accordance with company values.

Try getting creative and working in some lighthearted metrics specific to your company culture. Doing so can be a great way to boost morale and camaraderie.

5. Letting the Program Fall Through

The key to any successful program is consistency. Your employee recognition program will need to be continually monitored and developed to ensure it stays on track and reflects the needs of your employees. Regularly reviewing the program to set new goals and make updates is essential if you want to keep the program from falling through.

An employee recognition program can be a great tool to help your company meet its goals and increase employee satisfaction. Whether you’re just starting to implement your recognition program or looking to revamp your current program, keep these tips in mind.

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