How to Engage Employees Through Meaningful Recognition

Do You Engage Employee Through Meaningful Recognition?
Smart talent leaders and effective talent management strategies engage employees through meaningful recognition programs.  Ever since that first gold star on a homework assignment, we all crave recognition for jobs well done.  But the methods of how to engage employees through meaningful recognition have changed — the “gold star” is no longer enough to motivate your teams to higher levels of performance.

What Makes Employee Recognition Meaningful?
What type of employee recognition encourages greater on-the-job discretionary effort?  What can help motivate employees to strive for excellence? It depends. It depends on the individual, on the team, on the company, and on the unique corporate culture.

Three Critical Elements to  Employee Recognition
There are some constants, however. Employee engagement training experts agree with data from new manager training that there are three critical elements to  employee recognition that are sought and valued.

1. Design Recognition Criteria that Focus on the Company’s Strategic Priorities
   Our organizational alignment research found that strategic clarity accounts for 31% of the difference between high and low performing teams.  You’d be surprised how often misaligned priorities dilute employee engagement.

   Make sure there is a clear line of sight for people to contribute to your strategic objectives and how people are rewarded and recognized.

2. Executive Support
   Company leadership should understand that a meaningful recognition program has a positive effect on employee engagement and satisfaction . When leaders recognize superior performance, it will be noticed and employees will be greater advocates, exert more discretionary effort, and stay loyal for longer.

   In addition to recognizing performance, executives should also show appreciation of people’s inherent value by creating a culture of employee feedback to better connect with, appreciate, and support employees.

3. Secure The Participation of Team Managers
   Clear standards for recognizing employees’ performance contribution enables managers to raise the visibility of their highest performers.  If you want your managers to reward and recognize their employees in a way that makes them feel valued, ensure that they:

   — make investments to help their employees to succeed
   — value people as their most important resource
   — pay people fairly with respect to the value they bring to the organization
   — commit to making it a great place to work

The Bottom Line
If you want to engage employees through meaningful recognition programs, begin with strong executive support, actively involve managers and create a direct line of sight between employee recognition and your strategic priorities.

To learn more about improving employee engagement, download the Top 10 Most Powerful Ways to Boost Employee Engagement