What is recognition at work?
recognition at work means recognizing the value of the work performed by employees, as well as their skills and professional achievements.
When we think of recognition in the workplace, financial recognition quickly springs to mind. But it can take other forms. It can also take the form of congratulations, rewards, promotion or words of thanks. The feeling of recognition is ultimately rather subjective.
Today, employees are more inclined to leave their job if it doesn't meet their expectations. Like remuneration and meaning at work, recognition is one of the levers of employee retention. This is why the issue of recognition in the workplace is crucial for companies. It's in their interest to set up a recognition system for their teams.
Why take action on work recognition?
Recognition at work has many positive effects on the company.
A lever for commitment and motivation
Acknowledging the work of your employees is a powerful driver of commitment. According to a Gallup Institute study, 67% of employees who receive positive feedback from their manager say they are fully committed to their work. Indeed, recognition feeds the feeling of usefulness. Employees are more invested in their tasks. They will want to play an active part in achieving their objectives and in the company's development.
Moreover, for some employees, recognition at work is an important motivating factor. This is all the more important for jobs where tasks are repetitive, and therefore represent a risk of demotivation over the long term.
See also our webinar "Understanding the 4Ps to boost your teams' motivation".
Increased productivity
Recognition plays an essential role in employee productivity. Motivated and more confident about their missions, they will make the necessary efforts to get the job done. Ultimately, this productivity benefits the company's performance.
A lever for professional fulfillment
We said earlier that recognition leads to a feeling of usefulness. And as we know, employees who feel useful in their work are more fulfilled professionally. And let's not forget that fulfillment at work is an important factor in building loyalty to a company.
The risks of lack of recognition at work
Conversely, lack of recognition and failure to take difficulties into account will have negative repercussions. This will affect employee productivity, motivation and well-being.
Absenteeism is also one of the consequences. Indeed, according to the AYMING 2022 barometer on absenteeism, 13% of absent employees cite lack of recognition as the reason for their absence. Lack of recognition is also the second most common cause of employee resignation. (UKG 2022 study).
How do you implement recognition at work?
Joël Siellez, an occupational psychologist in our network, tells us more about how to bring recognition into the workplace.
Be specific
First of all, it's important to emphasize what you're thankful for. This means highlighting each employee's specific skills. You can emphasize good organization, rigorous work and a creative spirit. This will bring more value to your teams than a simple "thank you for your work".
Provide regular recognition
In the workplace, we often tend to wait for a success before acknowledging the work we've done. However, to motivate teams, it's a good idea to provide recognition on a more regular basis.
As a manager, for example, you can take advantage of individual time or weekly meetings.
It's also good to put recognition at work at the heart of corporate culture. This implies that recognition doesn't just come from the top. Teams can also be grateful to each other. Let's also think about recognizing our own work and achievements.
Use different forms of recognition
As we saw earlier, recognition at work is a subjective feeling. As a result, not all employees are sensitive to the same form of recognition. For example, some employees will prefer to receive recognition during group time, while others will prefer it to be given during an individual exchange.
Going beyond verbal recognition
Verbal recognition is important. Nevertheless, implementing concrete actions will bring added value for employees.
To thank an employee for his work, the manager can, for example, give him new missions, integrate him into a project that might interest him, or involve him in customer meetings. It's also a question of offering them opportunities for professional development, and thus helping them to improve their skills. By showing employees that the company trusts them to take on new challenges, they will feel valued and empowered.
In addition, setting up informal moments helps to highlight successes. Choose a team-building event, a moment shared by the team, which will also have a positive impact on team cohesion.
Finally, recognition at work can be achieved through other actions. Financial rewards, access to a works council, flexibility of working hours and location are examples of actions that show employees that they are recognized for their work.
Enhancing uniqueness
Valuing singularities means showing each employee that he or she can contribute something to others. This can be useful if some employees feel out of step. This could be the case, for example, with employees who are older than the rest of the team. In this case, the company can set up working groups involving all employees. The fact that employees can express their ideas, be listened to and take part in decision-making has a positive impact on recognition at work.
By promoting recognition at work, you're helping to improve the employee experience. You're also contributing to your organization's performance and to a climate of trust.
