Looking for ways to help employees engage with recognition? Here are ten tips to consider.
Sparking gratitude is particularly important right now as the workplace is rapidly evolving and most employees are grappling with increased stress both inside and outside of work. We’ve collected some ways to spark gratitude from our recent webinar: 10 Ways to Spark Gratitude at Work. You can also watch the whole recording here.
A human-centered workplace – predicated on gratitude, recognition, and connection – is critical to meeting the needs of employees. An employee experience built on human-centered values and open, authentic communication, empathy, and appreciation will elevate employees’ feelings of purpose and meaning at work. Perhaps most relevant today, it also increases feelings of inclusion, belonging, and psychological safety.
That’s good for your people and good for your business. Organizations that score in the top 25 percent for employee experience see better work performance (96% vs. 73%), significantly higher levels of discretionary effort (95% vs. 55%), and lower levels of turnover (21% vs. 44%).
Here are 10 ways to spark gratitude across your organization
- Celebrate gratitude and recognition holidays.
There are many holidays in the year – such as Employee Appreciation Day on March 4 and World Gratitude Day on September 21 – that are centered around employee appreciation and gratitude and make a perfect occasion to remind employees to reflect and thank one another. Use our communications toolkits to increase participation across your organization – including templates for emails, articles, posts, and visual assets like banners, digital images, and signage. (Download the Employee Appreciation Day toolkit here!)
- Engage returning employees.
Some, or all, of your employees may be returning to your physical workspace over the next months. Make their return a cause for celebration by welcoming them back in fun and engaging ways. Consider a desk drop or visual signage to remind employees to thank one another – or consider leading by example with a “Welcome Back” Team Award.
- Engage remote and hybrid employees.
Not every employee will be returning to the physical office. Make an effort to draw remote workers in and increase their sense of connectedness. Encourage them to participate virtually in groups and events, and remind managers to recognize them – to help them feel seen and valued. Life Events® and Community Celebrations® are great ways to keep remote workers close.
- Leverage your communications channels.
Take advantage of the communications and collaboration tools you already have by using them for messages of positivity and gratitude. Consider a social network takeover of channels like Slack, Yammer, or MS Teams, and include gratitude in internal and external blog posts, meeting agendas, and leadership communications.
- Empower employees from the top.
Expressing thanks should be modeled from the top down. Research shows that executive sponsorship and participation encourages the adoption of recognition and gratitude across the entire organization – as employees feel they have permission to express their thanks to colleagues. Put your leaders on video, leverage them in communications, and consider sending a Team Award to the company from them to set an example for all. Want to learn more? Watch Inspiring Leaders to Become Recognition Advocates.
- Encourage managers to use Actionable Insights.
Managers have powerful data points within Actionable Insights to understand recognition patterns on their teams, identify influencers and outliers, and encourage the use of the platform.
- Use targeted Human Engagement.
Human Engagement spots employees who have not yet fully embraced the platform and delivers personalized “smart” nudges and guides – both on the platform and in emails – to help them become comfortable recognizing and thanking one another.
- Engage with mobile users.
Encourage employees to download the Workhuman® app from the iOS App Store or Google Play. This drives adoption across your workforce – particularly for offline employees – promoting more frequent congratulations, timely approvals, and easier on-the-go redemption.
- Welcome new hires.
Introduce new employees into the organization in a way that makes them feel both rewarded and included. Studies show that employees onboarded with a welcome award from their manager are more likely to embrace a culture of gratitude over the long run.
- Enhance wellness programs with recognition.
Gratitude and wellness can support one another and create a cycle of positivity that will benefit both your employees and your culture. Use Community Celebrations to create fitness challenges or to promote self-care. Connect to existing wellness programs to reward activity and engagement.
Want more information on how to use any of these ideas to encourage recognition in your company? Reach out to your account team to strategize around the best ways to implement them in your organization.
