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events to thank their employees for their hard work Employee Recognition too.

Programs Regardless of how you structure your employee Recognizing and rewarding employees for their hard recognition program, the most important work is a key factor in boosting employee component of a successful one is that it recognizes engagement at your . Despite the employees for their contributions. importance of employee recognition, 45% of U.S. workers reported that they haven’t been recognized Benefits of Employee Recognition Programs at work in at least six months, according to a recent In addition to boosting at survey. your organization, employee recognition programs can raise morale, increase productivity, and improve Implementing an ongoing employee recognition attraction and retention efforts. In fact, according to program at your can boost your employee a survey by the Society for Human Resource engagement and assist with attraction and retention Management and Globoforce, 68% of HR efforts. Read on to learn more about what these professionals believe that these programs positively programs are and how you can implement one at affect . your organization. Moreover, these programs have the potential to What are employee recognition programs? reduce stress, and . In short, As the name suggests, employee recognition when employees feel valued by their company, programs are formal programs designed to recognize they’re happier and more productive. Happy and reward employees for doing a good . Often, employees are also more likely to tell prospective each organization has its own unique version of an employees that your organization is a great place to employee recognition program. Common programs work. Finally, employee recognition programs can include: motivate employees to continue working hard even if opportunities for advancement are unavailable • Years of service recognition and the budget doesn’t allow for compensation • Exemplary achievement recognition increases. • Noteworthy performance recognition • Peer recognition In today’s tight labor market, having a reputation as • Innovation recognition a company that treats its employees well and • Core value recognition rewards them for working hard is a key way to attract and retain top talent. Recognition in these programs can include formal written thank-you cards, paid time off, gift cards, company merchandise, all-expenses-paid vacations, cash bonuses and trophies. Some choose to host companywide staff appreciation

This HR Insights is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as professional advice. © 2019 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

Getting Started recognition, years of service recognition and year-round If you’re considering implementing a formal employee excellence recognition. Here are some ways to recognize recognition program at your organization, it can be difficult to employees for each type of recognition program: know where you should start. To get started, you should create clear, written policies and guidelines explaining the • Peer-to-peer recognition—Create communications program. Things to cover in these guidelines include: that employees can send each other to recognize a job well done. If possible, allow supervisors or • Eligibility requirements managers to be automatically copied on the • Award approval process communication so they can acknowledge the peer • Variety of awards/recognition available recognition. • Limits on recognition (frequency) . To incentivize participation, consider • Award thresholds entering employees into a monthly or quarterly prize drawing. Each time they Once you’ve developed these guidelines, you should send or receive a “job-well-done communicate the new program and its stipulations to communication,” their name will be managers and employees. Your communications should entered into the drawing. include the program’s criteria as well as examples of the • Core value recognition—Create a form that types of behavior that would warrant recognition or an managers can use to nominate their direct reports award. This way, employees and managers are clear on the who exemplify your company’s core values to win an program’s guidelines. Doing so also promotes transparency award. These awards can be distributed on a and understanding of what an employee must do in order to monthly, quarterly or annual basis. receive recognition. . To maximize the sentimental value of receiving these awards and recognition, Considerations consider giving award recipients a trophy or Like many other work-sponsored programs, there are gift card. considerations you should be aware of before you implement • Years of service recognition—What better way to an employee recognition program at your workplace. One of promote employee retention than to thank your the most prominent considerations is that all employees are employees for another year of service on their work different, and it’s unlikely that they’ll all be motivated by the anniversary. same recognition rewards. As such, you’ll need to offer . Rewards could include a catered lunch, gift variety in the types of recognition rewards you endorse. card, thank-you note or public announcement. Additionally, you’ll need to implement an employee • Year-round excellence recognition—A perfect way recognition program that can easily be adjusted as to recognize high performers is to present them with circumstances require. For example, a new project may pop a larger-than-normal reward to thank them for their up that requires employees to work harder. To reward their commitment to a full year of operational excellence. hard work, you may want to add a recognition program in . Rewards could include a cash bonus or an response to the new project’s demands. all-expenses-paid vacation, if your budget allows. Successful Employee Recognition Program Example In the vast majority of cases, you’ll need to take a For More Information multifaceted approach to employee recognition programs in To learn more about employee recognition programs, or for order for them to be successful. Many successful programs assistance creating one that’s right for your organization, include peer-to-peer recognition programs, core value contact Employco today.