How to Step Up Your Company's Employee Recognition Program

It's not always easy for companies to figure out which employees are making a huge difference around the office and may need to earn some recognition. In today's high paced society, making the time to ensure workers are happy means you reward employees who continue to go above and beyond to benefit the workplace.

Finding the time to set up an effective employee recognition platform will boost your employee morale and lead them to work harder, while they encourage others to step up their game as well.

Drawing a blank on what to do for your organization? Here are a few ideas for revamping your employee recognition program:

Step up Your Company's Employee Recognition Program

What Do Successful Employee Recognition Programs Require?

Employee recognition programs need to appear organic and as a part of company culture. Think about what you are aiming to do with your employee recognition program. Why do rewards and recognition matter to your organization?

Let's look at a few things to consider for and effective employee recognition program:

Employee Engagement increases when employee accomplishments are recognized.
Peer to Peer Recognition provides teams ownership to their success.
Employee Satisfaction increases when achieving milestones which result in recognition.
Employee Turnover rates decrease when company culture revolves around its team members.
Recognizing Employees increases their productivity and output quality.

Does your employee recognition program have these?

It's About More Than Praise

Sure, your company might dish out gift cards to places like Amazon or local restaurants to employees who have the most sales in a certain month or who have made a difference in another way. While praise like this will likely help a worker feel better about all the effort he or she has put in, sometimes it's not enough.

Remember that employee satisfaction is more than just receiving praise. And you want more than just employee satisfaction. Rewards and recognition only go so far without integrating a company culture with loyalty.

As much as you want your employees to produce quality, they rely on management to have their backs when times get tough. Effective employee recognition programs reward employee achievements when times are good, but also encourage employees to do their best when times are hard.

Your organization's leadership should be down in the trenches with front-line workers when things go sideways. That means you should learn about how employees feel by getting to know who they are.

Truly Get to Know Your Team Members

Instead of offering gifts, you might want to take the time to get to know your most gifted workers on a more personal level by inviting them to lunch. Likewise, you can motivate low-performing employees with positive feedback over reprimands.

Opting to take certain individuals out on the town or to an event to show your appreciation can seem more heartfelt than a generic offering like a gift certificate. Outings like these will help show a great worker that he or she matters and might show the employee that their diligence comes with actual rewards.

Boost Employee Satisfaction with Praise from the Top Down

Managers and lower-level bosses are typically hose who recognize employees, their hard work, and in return, handing out things like custom trophies or other prizes to show certain workers they are doing a good job. While earring recognition from these types of people is always nice, getting some attention from the higher-ups is an even bigger compliment.

While hearing recognition from these types of people is always nice, getting some attention from the higher-ups is an even bigger compliment. Allow middle management to gauge continuous performance management of each team member quarterly and schedule time for higher level bosses to provide public recognition.

As you know, bosses aren't likely on the frontlines day in and day out, so to achieve this step, it will take some additional time and attention on your staff to organize, but the results could make the extra effort worth it. Sending emails to the upper managers about how hard working or impressive certain employees are could help the bosses learn who might need a raise, or at the very least, which workers are deserving of praise.

Getting a pat on the back from the boss is a great motivator for an employee, while it can also encourage others to try harder as well.But if you are looking to provide meaningful rewards, and something more than just a pat on the back, try our crystal awards and start recognizing employee achievements like the pros.