Increasing Employee Engagement Through Recognition: Top Excuses and Attributes

Increasing Employee Engagement Through Recognition
Assessing organizational cultures and real-world experience point to the same conclusion: recognition is one of the most reliable levers for increasing employee engagement. When organizations consistently acknowledge meaningful accomplishments and extra discretionary effort, they reinforce the behaviors that drive results. More importantly, well-timed, authentic recognition signals that individual contributions matter, strengthening commitment, motivation, and trust.

Over time, this practice becomes a defining element of a high-performance culture — one where people choose to bring their best, not because they have to, but because their impact is seen and valued.

Make Sure Employees Are Recognized When They Contribute to the Organization’s Success
Everyone wants to know their work matters. High performers, in particular, want clear line of sight between their efforts and the organization’s success. Recognition provides that connection.

When managers consistently acknowledge strong performance and call out exceptional contributions, they do more than boost morale — they reinforce what “great” looks like and why it counts. Thoughtful recognition helps employees understand their impact on the broader enterprise, builds credibility for leaders, and sustains the level of effort required for long-term, high-quality performance.

What Recognition Matters Most?
Too often, managers either overlook their team’s contributions or recognize them in ways that miss the mark. Effective recognition isn’t just about saying “thank you” — it’s about acknowledging effort, results, and impact in a meaningful and timely way. When recognition is done poorly, it can feel insincere, random, or even demotivating. Thoughtful, well-timed recognition is essential to motivating employees and reinforcing a high-performance culture.

Three Employee Attributes for Increasing Employee Engagement Through Recognition

Increasing employee engagement through recognition the “right” way requires that employees:

1. Are Deserving
   Effective rewards and recognition leave no room for doubt: they are clear, timely, meaningful, fair, proportionate, and consistently applied. Recognition works best when employees see a direct connection between their actions and the acknowledgment they receive.

   Ask yourself: are your employees genuinely deserving of the recognition you give?

2. Understand Why
   When recognition comes without explanation, it can create confusion, resentment, and even diminish team morale. For rewards and recognition to truly motivate, expectations of high performance must be clearly defined, transparent, and trusted by both employees and managers. Employees should understand not only why they are recognized but also why others may or may not receive acknowledgment.

   Ask yourself: do your employees clearly understand the reasons behind the recognition they receive — or don’t receive?

3. Find the Recognition Meaningful
   Effective recognition is thoughtfully tailored to both the achievement and the individual. The most powerful rewards connect directly to what motivates people — the reasons they choose to stay, contribute, and perform at their best. When recognition feels relevant, purposeful, and aligned with employees’ values, it reinforces engagement and loyalty.

   Ask yourself: are your rewards and recognition truly meaningful to those who receive them?

Top Five Leadership Excuses to Not Recognize Employees
People manage assessment results show that some managers simply fail to reward or recognize their employees — and the excuses they give are often revealing. Common justifications you might hear include:

1. Too Busy to Notice High Performance
   These managers overlook a simple truth: work gets done through people, not just processes. When their attention is consumed by tasks and deadlines, they fail to recognize the contributions and efforts of the team members who make results possible, leaving engagement and morale to suffer.
2. Uncertain of How to Reward and Recognize
   Many managers hesitate to recognize employees because they lack confidence in how to do it effectively. Training in performance management and giving meaningful feedback should include guidance on rewarding and acknowledging high performance, equipping leaders to celebrate achievements in ways that truly motivate and engage their teams.
3. Not Convinced Rewards and Recognition Matter
   Some managers believe employees shouldn’t need a pat on the back — that a paycheck alone is sufficient. Yet research consistently shows that employees’ sense of value directly drives engagement. Engaged workers are not only more committed but also over 40% more productive and effective than their disengaged peers. Recognition is a critical lever for performance and organizational success.
4. Afraid of Playing Favorites
   Effective talent management often requires treating individuals differently based on their contributions — and that includes recognition. When only a few team members merit acknowledgment, clarity about why they are being rewarded ensures others don’t feel overlooked. The key is to distinguish between individual and collective effort: recognize employees for work they accomplished on their own and celebrate teams when success is the result of collaboration.

   Done thoughtfully, this approach motivates everyone without creating perceptions of favoritism.

5. Worried About the Expectation of a Raise
   Managers often hesitate to recognize high performers, fearing it will trigger requests for salary increases. While it’s true that top talent deserves fair compensation, recognition doesn’t always have to come in the form of a paycheck. Meaningful rewards — such as public acknowledgment, career development opportunities, or special projects — can celebrate achievement and reinforce engagement without immediately affecting compensation.

   The key is to be thoughtful, transparent, and consistent in how employee contributions are acknowledged.

The Bottom Line
If you’re a manager who doesn’t consistently acknowledge employees for their extra effort and meaningful contributions, what’s holding you back? Recognition is a powerful driver of engagement, performance, and loyalty. High-performing teams thrive when leaders see, value, and celebrate the people who make results possible.

To learn more about increasing employee engagement through recognition, download the 3 Top Talent Retention Strategies You Need to Know Before it is Too Late

by Tristam Brown: CEO

Tristam Brown is an executive business consultant and organizational development expert with more than three decades of experience helping organizations accelerate performance, build high-impact teams, and turn strategy into execution. As CEO of LSA Global, he works with leaders to get and stay aligned™ through research-backed strategy, culture, and talent solutions that produce measurable, business-critical results. See full bio.