The Top Tips for Giving Your Employees Recognition

Today, there are a lot of companies that are having a hard time keeping their employee retention rates as high as they should be. While companies certainly need to pay their employees a competitive salary if they want to attract the best talent, they also need to use a strong employee recognition platform program to help them. It can be difficult for companies to make changes when they have been using the same program for so long, but with a firm employee recognition plan in place, they can drive up their retention rates and reduce employee turnover. What are a few of the most important tips companies need to keep in mind for employee recognition?

1. Have a Regular Schedule in Place

First, you need to have a regular schedule in place for your employee recognition. You also need to have an objective set of criteria for when employees get recognized. That way, your employees know when and how they will get called out. For example, you might want to have every department nominate an employee of the week. Then, you might want to use that list to see which employee gets picked as the employee of the month. If your employees know when the winner will get announced, they will have a sense of anticipation about the process, which will encourage them to participate more in the process.

2. Consider the Announcement Portal

You should also think about the portal you use to announce the winner. It is okay to use a strategy that uses a handful of different gateways. For example, you might want to use social media to help you, posting about the winner on the Facebook or Instagram page for the company. You might even want to tag the winner. Do not hesitate to call out the employee in the company newsletter as well. There are a lot of portals out there, so you need to use the right program to help you coordinate the announcements. That is another area where a professional team can help you. You can find the right program to meet the needs of the company.

3. Do Not Neglect In Person Plaudits

While it is nice to use an electronic portal or method, you need to make sure that you do not neglect the process of giving an in-person compliment. If you see someone in the hallway who has done a good job, you need to let them know. Too often, employees feel like they are only called out when they do something wrong. They will simply leave if they feel like all the day is messed up. Having an employee recognition program will encourage others to give that employee a compliment in the hallway, which will improve employee morale.

4. Get Creative With the Prizes

Of course, you need to have a prize that goes along with the employee recognition as well. You can certainly just give someone a cash prize, but you should get creative with the prizes as well. You might be surprised at the difference an extra day off can make. Consider giving someone an extra vacation day! You might also want to have a set of gift cards available. Then, let the first winner pick a gift card from the list, and each successive winner can pick from what is next. You might even want to give out a free trip paid for by the company! Get creative with the prizes as you put together an employee recognition program.

5. Ask for Feedback

Don’t forget to get feedback from your employees on how the program is going. If you want your employees to buy into the program, you need to get feedback from them as well. That way, they know they have a voice in the program. You might even want to have a way for your employees to provide anonymous feedback and anonymous nominations. This will make it easier for you to collect information on the program and make changes that can improve its quality. Make sure that you talk to your employees and get feedback from time to time.

Get the Most Out of Your Employee Recognition Plan

If you follow these tips for employee recognition, you can give your employees the credit they deserve. A lot of companies are very focused on the bottom line, but they do not realize that their employee recognition plan can help the bottom line as well. With a strong plan, you can increase your employee morale, boost your employee retention rates, and even drive up your customer loyalty because your clients will see how well you treat your employees. If you are having a hard time putting together recognition plans for your employees, consider reaching out to a professional team that can help you.