Building a culture of appreciation should be one of the core elements of your people strategy — and it’s especially important as workforces become more global and dispersed. To understand how different organisations approach recognition, we spoke to HR leaders and business owners about the specific behaviours they recognise.
It's no secret that employees who are appreciated are more engaged and loyal. Yet recognition and reward are often deprioritised when times get tough, which can exacerbate any underlying cultural issues and increase turnover.
One reason employee appreciation is neglected is a flawed reward and recognition strategy. One flaw, such as taking a manual approach, may not be immediately obvious — for example, keeping a spreadsheet of everyone's starting date and firing off an email on each anniversary.
While this strategy might work for a small company, the system would inevitably break down as the company grows because it's not scalable and creates more work as headcount increases.
Organisations often don't realise how much work is involved in setting up recognition systems. However, the more work done to automate recognition when times are good, the easier and more convenient appreciation is during more challenging periods.
Recognition is so important because it has a huge impact on several employee experience touch points. For this reason, it has many benefits, including:
The great thing about recognition is that you can actually measure its impact. This can be done with surveys, polls, and tools that measure productivity and efficiency.
Not to mention, reward, affirmation, and feedback are typically the most popular answers employees give when answering questions based on what they find most fulfilling about their employee experience.
From stepping up as a leader, to the no-stats all-stars, here are some insights from industry experts that may help you.
Shonna Amos, EWP Coaching and Consulting:
"There is often an emphasis on leadership development and equipping leaders with the skills to cultivate a positive culture and achieve business results. I'm a firm believer that leadership is not reserved for those with a formal title and there are many examples of team members stepping up, leading and mentoring without being prompted — and often without being recognised. Think about what impact acknowledging that we all have the ability to lead can have on your organisation's culture. It's empowering when you're shown that your genuine efforts are noticed and celebrated."
Ryan Stewart, Webris:
"One positive behaviour that companies should recognise is the employees’ ability and willingness to learn from their mistakes. This shows that they are ready to improve themselves and grow. It also highlights their ability to work in a team and shows how good the employee is at collaborating with others. This is something that you as an employer must recognise. The best way to do this is by offering rewards. It’ll make your employees feel encouraged and know that their efforts and hard work don’t go unnoticed."
Marie Unger, Emergenetics International:
"Diversity drives innovation, and to navigate the future of work, it's essential that companies have the ability to transform. When you see your employees proactively seeking out different perspectives, and appreciating the diverse backgrounds and points of view of their colleagues — celebrate it! It's those actions that will inspire creativity, drive performance and create a better culture."
Rachel Blank, Allara:
"If an employee does some kind of volunteer work, that's something you should recognise. Featuring them in your internal communications — like newsletters and blast emails — will help build morale and improve employee relations. Also, consider sharing about their experience on your social media pages. Seeing that positive people work for your company can work as a great recruiting tool."
Jake Smith, Absolute Reg:
"Assertive employees are objectively vocal with their thoughts. They use a straightforward and honest approach in communicating with their leaders. They ensure that issues within the organisation are addressed right away. Assertive employees have high self-esteem, but they never forget to respect their leaders and colleagues. Their confidence doesn’t intend to harm anyone — they use it to help the business achieve its goals."
Mark Daoust, Quiet Light:
"Excellent employees focus on the customer, and this is behaviour that should be celebrated. These employees know that without the customer, nothing else matters, so everything they do is from their perspective. They will work non-stop to create the right environment to support the customer and understand this work needs to be done. The only way to survive as a business is to keep your customers coming back, so whatever these employees do should be highlighted and then implemented by the rest of your team."
Cesar Cruz, Sebastian Cruz Couture:
"I appreciate employees who have a strong independent work ethic and take the initiative to get projects done without asking. For example, some employees can work two steps ahead — they are almost always prepared and finalise deliverables before requested. The strong work ethic of this type of employee saves the company time and money, and they often become a go-to resource for questions and concerns for other team members. If you're looking to promote from within, these employees should be first in line."
Amrita Saigal, Kudos:
"Employees who go above and beyond for their coworkers deserve recognition. Teamwork requires passionate employees willing to sacrifice their own time to educate and motivate their coworkers. Recognise employee behaviours that foster a community of helpfulness within your organisation. Successful businesses can only work like a well-oiled machine if the team is unified."
Nirav Sheth, Anatta Design:
"Author Michael Lewis identified the archetype over a decade ago — an athlete who helps every team he plays on despite having mediocre stats. They're not just in sports and there’s probably one in your organisation. Some common traits they share include atypically long tenures for the same organisations, and they often work with the same core of people who know their value. No-stat all-stars frequently maintain positive attitudes even in times of stress. Often, their job descriptions are unremarkable, but their references tell a different story, usually singing their praises. Finally, they’re willing to take on tasks they're overqualified for and challenges above their pay grade. No-stats all-stars are easy to overlook, and to take advantage of, until they're gone."
A good manager understands they must celebrate work that doesn't otherwise draw attention to itself. When someone lands a huge sale, that's cause for celebration. But what about the developer who's just fixed a bug on the website or the copywriter who has completed the first draft of an email campaign?
Not everyone has a job at the company's coal face, and sadly, many managers only focus on those who do because these wins are the most obvious. However, recognising smaller wins reinforces a feeling of purpose in employees who work in less visible roles.
That's not to say managers should stop celebrating big wins — of course not. They simply need to remember to make space for every employee. So, if it's always the same faces on the employee of the month notice, maybe it's time to revisit that recognition and reward strategy.
There are many ways to make employees feel valued, and a solid recognition and reward strategy is just one of them.
Additionally, it's also important to focus on:
When an organisation gets this right, not only do they benefit from a highly engaged workforce, but they will likely have fewer instances of authorised absences, lower rates of turnover, and higher levels of productivity.
Now, we understand that some businesses cannot offer flexible working, for example, some retail and hospitality roles. However, the point we are making is that prioritising employee experience benefits everyone, including your bottom line.
For example, replacing an employee may cost around 20% of their wage, so an employee earning 20k may cost the organisation 4k in recruitment fees, loss of productivity, onboarding, and so on.
Sometimes, a modest pay rise as a reward for their hard work seems the most cost-effective option in the long-term, especially if that employee has a wealth of knowledge that would be extremely difficult to replace.
Perkbox is so much more than a recognition and reward tool and helps organisations show appreciation in many ways.
With thousands of discounts and deals, employees who use Perkbox can live a little more comfortably. For example, by saving on their weekly groceries or treating themselves to the occasional meal out. Other experiences and products your teams can enjoy at a discount include day trips, holidays, beauty, DIY, and much more.
Additionally, the Perkbox platform includes an ever-expanding library of wellbeing resources, ranging from health and financial webinars to HITT workouts and guided meditations.
Pump up your people by celebrating successes – big or small – and individuals who showcase company values. This creates a culture of appreciation that engages employees across all locations, boosting productivity and employee retention.
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