Differentiate your employer brand to attract and keep an engaged workforce
Celebrate your employee’s life events - nice touch. A surprise gift card in the mail – once – will be remembered for a bit. Neither, though, will be the reason why someone takes a job, or stays in their job.
Don’t misunderstand; nice gestures are always welcomed. However, they will never replace authentic interest in employees and supporting them in a way that counts for them, consistently.
appreciating your team, supporting their growth and being genuinely happy with their efforts and their success – all the time.
Recognition needs to be part of the company mindset, and it also needs to be deliberate and if deliberate means planning, then a good plan is the place to start:
Name your program to make it recognizable to both job seekers and customers and build a leadership team around it so that someone is always focused on its implementation and growth.
Weave program tenets throughout internal and external marketing, recruiting, operations and even sales efforts to ensure all employees and potential employees know it exists and can participate. This includes promoting through social media, including in printed literature, incorporating into job posts, interviews and even sales materials to show prospects the type of company you are.
While it should be second-nature to say ‘thank you’ and to show appreciation for team members, it can’t hurt to set reminders to ensure that you do it! Here’s how to ensure you engage in your R&R program in the workplace:
President Teddy Roosevelt is famous for knowing every employee in the White House by their name, even after his term as the serving president.
Why share that story? Because it’s incredibly impactful. If the President of the United States can see fit to make that sort of effort, leadership and employees in all companies can strive to do the same. It may just be a greeting, but it is often well-received, when according to Gallup, 24% of employees say that their most memorable recognition came from the CEO.
Plus, when it comes from the CEO, it creates a trickle-down effect, permeating through departments. In fact, in one study,
Psychologists note it’s human nature to want to be appreciated and recognized. How we do that for each individual needs to be considered, though, which brings us to our next point.
This includes lavishing public praise versus subtle notes of thanks.
The manager is this article raises a good point: what if some folks just don’t require recognition to do their job? Or more importantly, what if public commentary on their work is a dreadful experience? Again, being a great place to work takes into account all personality types. Some employees would love to be in the spotlight for a job well done; others might want to hide under the table. Still others may need a higher level of recognition to motivate them, while some might not even notice. This author notes it’s important to find the “goldilocks” of a happy medium in directing recognition in the workplace, especially publicly, which is something good managers will consider.
If you don’t know what they like, ASK!
(Credit: Hannah Hudson, weareteachers.com, 2018)
Yes, of course, it is the thought that counts and teachers everywhere will keep those mugs forever because it represents the children they have loved at their jobs. However, as an organization allocating hard-earned dollars to an important program designed to show appreciation to your team members, spend that budget on what you know your employees may need or want. Consider this:
That’s significant and evidence that our efforts in rewards and recognition need to be relevant to the recipient.
It certainly seems like a lot of effort to find ways to motivate and engage your workforce. But time and again, we’ve found that making engagement and motivation as priorities is worth it. Statistically, you can’t argue when you look at the facts:
Plus, a recent Gallup survey noted:
If companies double the number of employees they recognize every week, there will be:
All the above points to organizational success when teams feel seen and appreciated. But aside from business goals, perhaps the most important statistic lies here: