Employee Recognition Programs
Award dinners, employee gift cards, seasonal celebrations and employee-of-the-month events are forms of employee recognition. Depending on the type of business, size of the workforce and company budget, employee recognition programs range from simple gestures of appreciation from a manager to lavish company parties.
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Purpose of Employee Recognition
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The fundamental reason employers recognize employees is because human capital is the most valuable resource an organization has and employee recognition is the company's way of expressing its appreciation. Employees benefit from recognition as much as their employers. Employers benefit from improved morale, job satisfaction and easily measurable areas such as increased retention and reduced turnover. Employees benefit from recognition because it satisfies an intrinsic need to be appreciated and acknowledged for their work. In addition, depending on the type of recognition, employee recognition is an experience employees can share with friends, family and colleagues.
Low-Cost Recognition Programs
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Employers whose budgets won't allow extravagant employee recognition programs focus on inexpensive ways to demonstrate their appreciation. The least expensive forms of employee recognition are often an employee's most memorable. Lasting forms of employee recognition encourage loyalty to the company and enhance the employee's professional reputation. A handwritten letter of thanks from the company president is one form of recognition employees admire. Simply knowing that a busy executive took time to craft a sincere note about an employee's contributions to the company conveys an important message that employees play a vital role in business success. It also conveys that communication between employees at all levels in the organization is an essential element in the workplace.
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Variety of Employee Recognition Programs
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The number of employee recognition programs is limited only by the resources of the human resources department or the person responsible for implementing ideas. Employees who provide excellent customer service may receive accolades from co-workers as well as customers. It's not uncommon for customers to send unsolicited feedback to a business when they are particularly impressed with an employee's skills and attention to customer needs. Employees who are retiring after a long career receive recognition -- many employers underwrite retirement celebrations or present the employee with a special token of appreciation. Recognizing teamwork is another form of employee recognition, especially when a special project is completed successfully after many hours of hard work, sacrifice and dedication.
Proactive Employee Recognition
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One of the reasons employees report lack of motivation in the workplace is that they feel unappreciated. Employee recognition can resolve issues related to job satisfaction, low employee morale and employee engagement, provided the recognition is genuine and proactive. Employee retention begins with understanding workforce needs before an employee tenders a resignation letter. Proactive measures include developing employee recognition programs that benefit the overall workforce. Recognizing employee contributions in the eleventh hour demonstrates poor planning and attention to employee needs. Employee relations specialists are trained to implement ways to improve the employer-employee relationship. Developing employee recognition programs is one of the best ways to create and sustain strong working relationships.
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References
- Virginia Department of Human Resource Management: Employee Recognition Programs; July 1, 2005
- GovLeaders.org: Making Creative Use of Employee Recognition Programs; Don Jacobson
- Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools: Employee Recognition
- "Entrepreneur": Employee Recognition: Why it Matters; Alex Hiam; Jun. 24, 2002
- "Inc.": Damned with Faint Praise; Leigh Buchanan; Sept. 15, 2009