Job recognition: why you should start practicing it today

Inspira Joyas
Dec 19, 2022
7 min read

Prioritizing job recognition is one of the most valuable practices your team can focus on. This activity can improve employee engagement, reduce turnover, increase productivity and help achieve business goals.

Ensuring employee retention is one of the challenges facing most companies today. This turnover represents losses for the company, including training and other related expenses: replacing an employee means spending between 100% and 300% of his or her annual salary.

When an employee feels that his or her work and effort are valued, he or she automatically feels more satisfied and much more committed. Here you will learn how to achieve this favorable effect, step by step.

What is recognition at work?

It is a practice used to express appreciation, motivate employees and reinforce desired company behavior. The goal of workplace recognition is to encourage employees in the workplace and to highlight their good performance and positive business results.

Strengthening employee engagement is critical to ensuring your company's success, and workplace recognition are one of the keys to achieving this goal. For labor recognition to be successful, it must be done on a personal basis, as each employee has different skills and achievements that should be valued.

When implementing employee recognition, sincerity is vital, as people can detect when recognition is not genuine. You need to be very specific and emphasize what you are praising them for. This will help your employees know what they are doing well and continue to do it the same way.

Benefits of implementing labor recognition in the company

At least 32% of workers between 23 and 38 years old say that in the next six months they will look for another job opportunity because they do not get an appreciation for the activities they perform in their companies.

Therefore, it is important to be open to identifying any opportunity that allows you to praise an employee for his or her work performance.

Recognizing the work of employees brings many more benefits to a company than you can imagine. Among the most notable are:

Increases individual productivity. When employees and their work are valued, their satisfaction and productivity can increase by as much as 31%.
Strengthens commitment among colleagues. Job recognition is a powerful communication technique because it encourages people to their good work and sends an effective message to the recipient, the work team, and other employees.
It promotes customer loyalty and satisfaction. Employees will work more efficiently when the company's goals are also conducive to the success of their interests. This makes them feel that they are working to achieve their goals.
Improved health and well-being. Employees in healthy environments, in addition to fostering a positive organizational culture, also report a 15% greater sense of well-being.
Encourages team collaboration. When there is healthy competition and an organizational culture focused on building strong teams, collaboration happens on its own. In this way, in addition to positively influencing productivity, employees also seek to join forces to achieve business goals.

Types of labor recognition

While we often associate job recognition with monetary bonuses or award events, there is more to employee appreciation than that. Rewards can also be a simple compliment or a thank you email.

In general, there are two types of job recognition:

1. Monetary recognition of labor

Monetary reward programs include monetary or tangible rewards. Some of the most common are:

Salary increases
Bonuses
Commissions
Paid professional development and training opportunities
Retirement and health care plans
Paid time off
Profit sharing plans
Merit pay
Discount agreements with other companies
Free meals
Gift cards
Conferences and business travel

2. Non-monetary recognition of labor

The following are some examples of non-monetary employment recognition programs:

Job Promotion.
Being in charge of the work team
Additional security such as general medical consultations on site
Parking space
Trophy or merit medal
Internal professional development
Certificate of achievement
Flexible work schedules and locations
New office space
Days off
Lunch with a manager or executive director

How to apply workplace recognition in your company: 14 tips to recognize your team and raise their spirit

Implementing a program to recognize your employees is the best option to achieve more productive teams that not only work for a paycheck but also show a greater commitment to your company's interests.

First, make sure communication between you and your employees is positive. Let them know if there is a drop in their performance and ask for their help in motivating them to work together to achieve your company's goal.

You can motivate them with an atmosphere where they feel free to contribute their suggestions. Show them that you consider their creativity and that they are essential to the company. Next, we advise you to know the individual goals that each of your employees has set for themselves; evaluate their objectives to find a common interest and combine that interest with your company's purpose.

Take a look at some examples of how to recognize your team and lift their spirits through various strategies:

1. Customize awards announcements

It is not enough for the organization's leaders to know that an employee is outstanding; it may be important for that person to make his or her achievements known to everyone.

Keep in mind that not everyone likes to be praised in the same way, as there are people who like public recognition and others who prefer private recognition. Therefore, you must customize the recognition according to each of your employees.

2. Distribute an internal newsletter to employees

Send out an internal newsletter to let everyone know about your colleagues' accomplishments. Post news on your internal communications platforms, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

3. Post on social networks

Create a post on your company's social networks. This can also work for you to attract external talent.

4. Press releases

Think about publishing a local press release to create and expose your employees' success stories.

5. Schedule a thank-you celebration

Hold an event to thank your employees for their achievements.

6. Take advantage of the usual meetings

Give a thank you during one of the team or company meetings.

7. Make a special space within the company.

Recognize employee achievements during company events, such as anniversaries.

8. Start a wall of fame

Surely in more than one company, you have seen those boards where they recognize the employee of the month. This is an incredible action in which you only have to print photos of your employees and give them visibility on the wall of fame of your business. Add them in a place where there is as much visibility as possible.

9. Recognizes projects

Reward a team for their project, encourage teamwork and promote new ideas. Make the project public so that participants feel recognized.

10. Rewards good ideas

It is also important to value the facts that have not been consummated, such as good ideas. To this end, it is important to listen to and value what employees propose, their ideas, and future projects that, although not yet a reality, may later serve to grow the company and gain ground against the competition.

11. Offering unusual recognition

Unlike classic corporate gifts, such as cash or gift cards, experiential rewards, incentives, and giveaways can boost long-term engagement. A sunrise hot air balloon ride or recreational park passes for the employee and family foster memorable moments.

12. Recognizes labor seniority

When an employee turns 5 or 10 years with your company do something special. Keeping good employees is important for any business that wants to succeed. Thank the employee and give them a gift or incentive to show you appreciate their loyalty.

13. Promotes recognition from all ranks

Recognition should not only be done by managers and partners but in any hierarchical scale. Encourage recognition among team leaders, managers, and any other collaborators who have personnel under their charge.

14. Recognizes effort despite the failure

Sometimes, despite the team's best efforts, things did not always turn out as expected. However, the dedication, perseverance, hard work, and ideas implemented by the team should be recognized, beyond the result obtained.

3 companies that dominate job recognition

Nowadays, companies implement different labor recognition programs to keep their employees motivated and thus support their goals and objectives. For these companies, it is essential to invest resources to make their employees feel happy and avoid turnover. This has allowed them to position themselves as one of the best companies to work for.

1. Google

Google is one of the companies where many people would like to work, especially in the technology industry.

Not only because of the cutting-edge offices but also because employees enjoy all kinds of advantages and privileges. Get to know the elements with which this tech industry giant carries out labor recognition:

Free lunch for everyone and they can even dine there if they stay working late.
Good working environment.
Technological avant-garde by using products such as tablets or phones that have not yet gone on sale.
Pets are welcome at Google's offices.
It is normal for mothers to take a maternity leave of about 6 weeks, but at Google, parents can also access this benefit.
Decoration, games, beverages, and social areas.
Free laundry facilities and massage chairs are available.

Imagen de Google

2. Santander Group

Santander Group is a banking group that includes Banco Santander. It includes a network of financial institutions with an international presence, mainly in Europe and Latin America. This company uses the StarMeUp platform that allows employees to recognize their colleagues using stars that represent the company's values. It is a way to motivate and inspire work teams and, at the same time, it is a very effective tool to detect which are the best talents for each task.

With this labor recognition plan, Santander promotes its human resources strategy that has helped it to position itself in the list of The Best Companies to Work for in Latin America in 2021 by the consulting firm Great Place to Work, thanks to the performance of its subsidiaries in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay.

Imagen vía Great Place to Work

3. DHL

DHL Express, the world's leading provider of international transportation services, has been recognized as the best place to work in Latin America, according to the list of employers of 2020 prepared by Great Place to Work. It implemented the Happiness Program, which includes initiatives of high emotional impact on 6 core concepts: laughter, hugs, gratitude, participation, music, and help so that each employee can fulfill their dreams.

DHL's labor recognition also highlights diversity and inclusion policies and different programs focused on talent development. It provides support during the initial phase of maternity and paternity for its employees. It also provides flexible schedules, training opportunities, and labor inclusion, such as lactation rooms in its work centers.