Everybody who has a job, regardless of what that job is, enjoys and appreciates being recognized for their work. Feeling valued, recognized, appreciated – these are emotional and psychological hallmarks of being employed. As an employee, knowing that your employer values your contributions and recognizes your efforts can be the deciding factor in whether you’re investing yourself in your job 100% or „just putting in time“ and picking up a paycheck. Considering that many people actually spend more time with their co-workers at their job per week than they do with family members at home, it should be no surprise at all that the importance of validation and recognition at the workplace is one of the biggest priorities of both employee and employer – everyone is giving their time, and a large part of their lives, to the workplace and the necessity for encouraging goodwill, positivity and determination become even more important.

At our most basic psychological levels, we all need to feel as though we are valued and loved. It is because of this genetically ingrained requirement that employee recognition is so very important to the success of any business.

There are two types of recognition, both equally important – Informal Recognition and Formal Recognition.

Informal Recognition – Can be used every day to acknowledge contributions in the workplace. It is most effective when it is aligned with a specific task or behavior. The more recognition comes to resembling a task, the more the employee will come to associate that recognition to the presumably desired behavior. Informal recognition provides invaluable motivation for most employees and is a wonderful building block in increasing an employee’s desire to do their job to the utmost of their ability and do it well.

Formal Recognition – Stopping to think about your employees and how to recognize them on a regular basis is in and of itself a challenge for most employers. Developing a formal recognition program of some kind, no matter how small or large, is important to the culture of the workplace and to the morale of the employees. It is also important to the employer as it ensures that staff will get recognition without the employer needing to compromise any day to day responsibilities in the workplace to do so.

Part of an effective recognition program is identifying what the employee likes. What may seem, in theory or concept, like an excellent idea may have little to no resonance with the employee when it is presented to them. Making the formal recognition somewhat personal may require more effort from the employer, but the reciprocation and positive overall effect on the culture of the workplace is invaluable. The key is knowing, at a personal level, what would be meaningful to each employee – a premium parking spot? An extra day off to spend with their family? Get to know your employees and these things will eventually be revealed to you.

Traditional methods of recognition are also very effective. Use of public forums such as conventions, meetings, newsletters and annual dinners are great platforms to award an employee in front of their peers. There are many promotional companies that offer many types of awards and employee recognition gifts, all of which can be personalized and tailored to the employee and to your business. When recognizing any employee and their accomplishments and contributions, it is important that there is a level of sincerity to go with the recognition; presenting someone with an award can either be a warm, personalized experience or it can be cold and mechanical – guess which method is more likely to have a positive impact on the employee?

Whichever method or model of employee recognition you decide to implement, if you inform your employees of exactly what is expected of them, provide them with the resources to do it and recognize a job well done, you will be able to take satisfaction in knowing you are providing a great working environment for your staff.

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