Leadership recognition plays a crucial role in creating a thriving workplace culture. Companies that prioritize employee recognition have been consistently recognized as the best workplaces. Research from Aptitude Research Partners confirms that recognition has the greatest impact on employee engagement, making it a top priority for leaders who want to be successful in their businesses.
Meeting the Craving for Recognition
When employees look to their leaders, they seek more than just guidance and reassurance— they crave recognition. While leaders focus on guiding their teams and setting future directions, they should not overlook the importance of acknowledging achievements and instilling pride. Recognizing outstanding work has a significant impact on employee engagement. As the saying goes, “What gets recognized gets repeated.”
The Impact of Recognition on Employee Engagement
Surprisingly, only 21 percent of employees are highly engaged, underscoring the need to find effective ways to engage and motivate them. A recent report by Achievers highlights the critical role leadership recognition plays. Shockingly, nearly one in five employees believe their managers or companies are inadequate at recognizing their efforts, and 43 percent rank their managers or companies as merely satisfactory. To become stronger recognition champions, leaders need to explore strategies to improve recognition in the workplace. A remarkable 50 percent of employees believe that being thanked by their managers not only improves their relationships but also builds trust with higher-ups.
Implementing a Consistent Recognition Platform could be one such strategy, enabling leaders to acknowledge and appreciate employee contributions consistently. This platform would provide a centralized system for recognizing achievements, ensuring that no effort goes unnoticed or unappreciated.
Becoming a Recognition Champion: Essential Steps
Recognition and Rewards (R&R) must be a top priority for leaders. While many associate R&R with monetary recognition, it extends far beyond that. Here are seven essential steps for leaders to become recognition champions:
1. Provide real-time and frequent employee recognition for maximum effectiveness.
2. Promote a culture of recognition and lead by example.
3. Utilize both monetary and social recognition approaches.
4. Implement a recognition and rewards platform to ensure widespread visibility for every recognition.
5. Celebrate milestones, birthdays, and accomplishments with team-signed digital cards.
6. Host regular company-wide meetings focused on recognition and rewards to showcase top performers.
7. Streamline the recognition process with one-click recognitions, eliminating the excuse of being “too busy” to recognize employees.
Leaders hold significant influence, and their recognition has a lasting impact. Simple gestures such as celebrating milestones or expressing gratitude through thank-you notes can greatly enhance employee engagement and morale.
Pro tip: Incorporate the value of employee recognition and best practices into leadership training programs to encourage leaders to recognize employees more frequently.
Success Stories: Leadership Recognition in Action
Let’s explore a few success stories that highlight the positive impact of leadership recognition on employee engagement:
1. General Motors (GM): General Motors (GM), a global automotive company, introduced the GM Recognition Program powered by Achievers to 67,000 employees across 26 countries. Within six months, employee recognition became one of the top five most improved areas in their engagement survey. More than 5,000 positive comments were received, expressing appreciation and a sense of being valued in the workplace. Leadership recognition soared as people leaders at GM sent an average of four recognitions per month, and 8 out of 10 managers consistently recognized their employees monthly.
2. Availity: Availity, the nation’s largest real-time health information network, faced challenges in managing a consistent and effective recognition program. After implementing a new program with Achievers, employee activation rates increased from 97.5 percent to an impressive 99.5 percent within six months. The program achieved 100 percent senior leadership participation and significantly contributed to the rise in employee engagement across the company.
3. CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System: CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System, an organization employing over 1,799 offline employees, sought a modern recognition solution to improve focus and alignment with company objectives. With Achievers’ assistance, the company experienced a remarkable increase of more than 10 percent in “associate engagement specific to leadership recognition,” elevating it from 66 percent to 77 percent.
4. ArcelorMittal Dofasco: ArcelorMittal Dofasco, with a workforce of over 5,500 employees, recognized the need to appreciate their hardworking employees. After implementing a new recognition program, ArcelorMittal Dofasco witnessed a surge in manager recognition. The introduction of the ‘Boost’ feature, allowing managers to view and add points to existing recognitions, bridged the gap between organizational layers, which had been absent in the past.
Unlocking the Potential of Leadership Recognition
Leaders who embrace recognition as a powerful tool will witness a significant shift in employee engagement and productivity. Consistent practice of recognition in the workplace has a profound impact on company culture. Don’t miss the opportunity to become a recognition champion, as it will make you a stronger leader in the process
