Every week A&I will post a blog about recognition, incentives or events and everything that goes with it. But is recognition really that important? A few months ago, I saw that someone was looking for ways to improve work environment for their staff on LinkedIn, being the helpful person, I am, I left a link to our blog page. This was all well and good until someone commented "Thank goodness I am near to retirement if this is what it takes to keep staff happy" and when told to open his mind up a little he said he "prefers to work in a grown-up environment". This has played on my mind for the last couple of months. So, I've come up with some pointers as to why it is important:
Recognised employees are happy employees. If you've had a bad day at work you're more than likely to take that home with you and affect the rest of your day. But just think of all the days you go home positive after a good day at work. A good day at work can be stemmed from something so simple and when you show your employees that you appreciate them then they will feel good about what they do and take those feelings away with them. As the saying goes you want to "live to work, not work to live" so if an environment is pleasant then coming to work will seem like less of a necessity and more of an enjoyment. The likelihood is that when an employee is happy, they will be more motivated and more productive than those who aren't happy in the workplace.
Appreciate and be appreciated. A simple thank you can stretch a long way, it indicates an element of trust. When efforts are appreciated by someone in a higher position or status than themselves then they will feel a good connection and will appreciate the leadership. Something so simple can be so effective. A lot of employees are happy to receive praise or a thank you. It can go a long way as it makes employees feel like they're good at their job!
Finding new employees and training them can be time consuming and expensive. But you might not have this problem if your employees are happy as happy employees tend to stick around. People change jobs for all sorts of reasons, yes, but that employee will feel more inclined to stay if they feel happy and that their efforts are recognised within the workplace, meaning you'll be able to keep talent on your team, thus saving time and money.
It doesn't always have to cost loads of money. There are plenty of cost -effective things you can do to ensure employee recognition. It can be hard to choose, but if you do something eligible to all employees then you're not excluding or demotivating people. Some things to consider could be flexi-time, an extra days holiday or even ordering the team breakfast on a Friday.
Employee recognition keeps the relationship between the employee and employer healthy, so when you recognise your staff, it makes work all that more rewarding.
If you'd like some ideas on how to bring recognition and incentives into your workplace then get in touch here: hello@a-igroup.co.uk