Employee Recognition: Expectations and Methods

This week’s blog was contributed by Blessing Adesoji Kalejaiye. Blessing is a graduate student at Niagara College Canada, where he is studying Human Resource management. He will be completing a four-month internship with OMHRA this Friday. We thank him for his contributions and interest in the HR profession.

Expectation on Recognition

It is probably best to first consider employee recognition from a human and psychological angle: the need appreciated for a job well done, for the number of dedicated works in service. In other words, employees need to be appreciated for their personal and collaborative efforts in their work, team and their organization. Recognition has become an important aspect of employee development. Employees who are usually recognized by the organization are reported to have improved work satisfaction. Another benefit of recognizing employees is that it leads to increased productivity and engagement, increased retention of quality employees, and decreased stress and absenteeism.

Types of Employee Recognition

Most times, there is a link between how an employee wants to be recognized and their personality type. While some employees like to be recognized openly, others prefer to be recognized privately without attracting much public attention.

There are different ways of recognizing an employee. For example, it can be either Attributive or Anonymous. It is not usual for an employee to be recognized by a known member of staff or director. In such a situation, the recognition is said to be attributive. On the other hand, an employee can get a thank you card from a faceless member of staff or board of directors.

Recognition can take the form of:

Monetary Bonus

Be they large or small, monetary bonuses show that the employer appreciates the employee’s hard work. Recognition can also take the form of a branded company gift such as a wristwatch, T-shirts, bags or coffee mugs. Such incentives raise the awareness of employees that they are appreciated. It also raises their sense of belonging as part of the organization.

Recognition Wall

Most employers recognize their employee by setting up an employee recognition wall. This can involve setting up a wall with sticky notes where people can leave messages to an employee or a colleague. Since this is usually not in a public setting, such an act by management can result in positive encouragement for employees.

Written Praise

Written praise to an employee in the form of a note or an email is one of the ways to show appreciation to a dedicated employee. While an email can serve as necessary and positive encouragement, a handwritten message shows the effort of the employer in acknowledging the tremendous efforts and contribution of the employee towards the advancement of the company.

Employees who receive any form of the recognition stated above will go out of their way and give their very best to the organizations they work for. As such, employers should ensure they recognize employees on special occasions such as their birthdays, work anniversary, project completion, end of year party, and employee reviews.