Employee recognition is all about acknowledging and appreciating your staff’s contributions during work.

But these contributions aren’t simply hitting a big target or gaining a relevant client. They can include accomplishing daily activities, showing teamwork ethics, and even abiding to business values.

We’d all like to be appreciated for our everyday achievements, or for working beyond our expectations. Employee recognitions can reinforce these efforts, even boosting motivation, loyalty, and engagement even further.

Let’s take a look at why employee recognition is important, what behaviours should we praise, and how to introduce these practices into our workplace.

Why is employee recognition important?

Every business should hold employee recognition as a crucial part of its plans. By doing so, it’ll lead to things like:

Better performance

It’s normal to think recognition for an employee is just about achieving goals. However, it’s more about them going beyond their normal duties. For example, when a team of employees decides to work together to attain a relevant business client.

Job satisfaction

We’d all love to feel satisfied with our job role – or else it won’t last for long. Satisfaction comes with ease once employees feel respected and appreciated at work. This could be done through words of gratitude; or through rewards, like bonuses and trophies.

Respect business values

Appreciating an employee’s output will instantly boost their work efforts. Whilst this may enhance the individual’s skills and talents, it can also lead to further respect for business values and ethics.

Is employee recognition the same as employee rewards?

Whilst it’s common to see the two together, employee recognition and rewards are separate factors.

Employee recognition are gestures that acknowledge a person’s values or output. These can’t be measured through tangible things. It’s more about creating an emotional connection between the individual and their workplace.

Every business will have its own determiners which they believe should be rewarded. It could be reaching commission targets, onboarding certain clients, or even manifesting innovative ideas.

Some of the most common behaviours recognised in employees include:

Performance

This is probably the most common reason for recognising employees. Hard work and effort often leads to high levels of performance. Whilst this builds up experience and skills for the individual, it also leads to greater achievements for the business.

Innovation

Being able to show innovation is something worth recognising – and rewarding. Those who bring creative or fresh ideas to the business should be encouraged further. Even if their ideas never manifest, you’ll benefit from investing in their positive work ethic.

Service years

Nothing shows dedication better than company loyalty. Staying employed in a role, or the business itself, is something worth recognising. This often comes with rewards, like career promotions, annual bonuses, and unconditional respect.

Team player

Having independent employees is great. But the real test is whether they’re able to work with others in teams. Employees who are team players help resolve issues, motivate colleagues, and strive towards company goals should be rewarding.

Flexibility

Being able to adapt when necessary is essential in business. Whether it’s due to economical changes or financial struggles. Employees who are able to hold their nerve and remain flexible during these times must be recognised for their worth.

How to introduce the best practices for employee recognition

The effects of employee recognition are limitless. But who do you bring into your business? Don’t worry – it isn’t as complicated as you might.

Let’s take a look at effective employee recognition practices you can introduce into your workplace:

Create a clear manifesto

The first step to take is creating a clear manifesto of your employee recognition practices. This plan should represent your business’s objectives, targets, and even values.

Employees should know exactly what happens if they work hard or perform better than their expectations. They could be rewarded with all kinds of things; from commission pay to promotional opportunities.

Outline times and frequencies

The next step is to outline times and frequencies that follow being recognised. Employees should be aware of when and how they’ll be rewarded for their hard work. This must be done in a timely and reasonable manner.

If you delay rewarding employees for their hard work, it could be detrimental to your practices. They’ll feel discouraged from working harder in the future. Some may even feel cheated and decide to under-perform or even leave their job role.

Record achievements digitally

A great additional step to add to your practices is recording achievements digitally. This will help track all employees who are in line for a bonus or reward. It’s especially helpful if you dish out rewards regularly, like providing monthly commission pay.

Invest in a digital app that allows employees to check their own achievements. This will help motivate them further to work harder and earn more. It can even shed a light on those who may be struggling to keep up with their peers.

Provide the best reward

Once you’ve created your recognition practices, think about providing the best employee recognition reward. It doesn’t always have to be money-based; you can invest in giving out gift cards or career development opportunities.

Talk to your employees and get their opinion on what rewards would aspire them to work better. Be reasonable with implementing their requests. Remember, the business comes first – you don’t want to cause financial hardships on yourself.

Let highstreetvouchers help you with employee recognition

Employees will always work a little harder if they’re praised for their efforts. This applies whether it’s a word of thanks or an annual bonus.

Why not invest in gift cards and vouchers as part of your employee recognition platform?

At highstreetvouchers, we offer a variety of rewards guaranteed to help boost employee motivation, loyalty, and engagement.

Whether you’re rewarding individuals or entire teams, highstreetvouchers.com has the perfect gift card for you.