Why reward and recognition is a key driver to successful employee engagement
If your organisation is looking to measure and improve its employee engagement, there are a number of controllable factors across the employee lifecycle you should be focusing on. Our research has uncovered 10 key employee engagement drivers that will help you to gain accurate and fair understanding of your workforce when conducting employee listening.
Here, we’re going to focus on one of these key drivers: reward and recognition.
What is reward and recognition?
Reward and recognition is an effective way for employers to show their appreciation, gratitude, and support to employees, and it can be an important tool to motivate and improve performance of staff.
Reward and recognition should be woven into the culture of every organisation. When an employee surpasses standard job duties, the appreciation they receive can encourage them to keep up their good work. Without it, employees may start to wonder why they’re putting in any effort at all.
Why is employee reward and recognition important in the workplace?
Reward and recognition is a crucial part of employee engagement and overall happiness. Implementing a rewards and recognition program can help build employee engagement, which lends itself to many organisational benefits.
What are the benefits of reward and recognition?
Reward and recognition in the workplace can help foster motivation, loyalty, and productivity in employees. It can also lead to greater job satisfaction and morale. Down the line, this becomes increasingly beneficial as it helps with the retention on talent and increased job performance, and the development of a positive culture where employees feel appreciated and motivated.
What are the outcomes of poor reward and recognition?
Reward and recognition programs that are poorly executed – or, worse still, non-existent – can lead to dissatisfaction, a decrease in job performance, an increase in turnover, and reduced engagement. Employees will start to feel like their efforts are not being properly recognised, and they may become apathetic towards their work and the organisation as a whole.
What initiatives can you implement to encourage reward and recognition?
Employers have numerous ways that they can show their employees recognition, appreciation, and encouragement at an individual, team, or peer-to-peer level. Initiatives could include:
- Positive feedback
- Extra paid time off work and ‘wellness’ days
- Employee awards
- Meeting announcements
- Lunch out
- Rewards and treats
- Offer to sponsor a volunteering day
- Handwritten messages
- Public praise, for example on social media
Related content:
[WEBINAR] Sharing the love – the power of recognition at work
[ARTICLE] 10 employee recognition initiatives you can implement today
[ARTICLE] 10 non-monetary motivators to encourage employee engagement
[ARTICLE] Employee engagement drivers that you should prioritise
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