Recognition from managers is one of the most memorable and impactful forms of recognition, outweighing peer recognition in a recent Gallup survey.
Even though colleague praise boosts camaraderie and productivity, there’s something uniquely powerful about manager-to-employee recognition. When leaders take time out of their busy days to acknowledge successes, employees are inspired to perform at their peak — and they are more likely to extend that recognition to their colleagues. This creates a ripple effect that fosters a workplace culture of recognition.
If you’re working on elevating your company’s recognition efforts, it’s important to keep in mind the essential role of management. Your senior leaders are key influencers who have an unmatched ability to shape and reflect recognition as an organizational value.
Wondering how to get your managers on board with employee recognition? Let’s get started.
Recognition can take on many forms in the workplace — such as public vs. private, formal vs. informal, and manager-to-employee vs. peer-to-peer.
Every workplace should aspire to achieve diversity of recognition, which naturally leads to more frequent praise. In companies where recognition has become a core value, praise is embedded within everyday behaviors and manifests in different ways — from a celebratory emoji, to an employee bonus, to a team awards ceremony.
However, there’s something to be said for top-down recognition in particular. Employees are profoundly affected when management calls attention to their wins and triumphs.
In order to fully appreciate the benefits of manager-to-employee recognition, it’s important to understand how it compares to peer-to-peer recognition. While peer-to-peer recognition plays a powerful role in cultivating camaraderie and psychological safety within the workplace, manager-to-employee recognition tends to have a stronger impact on bottom-line outcomes like engagement, productivity, and retention.
Top-led motivation moves the needle because it is typically more targeted, specific, and aligned with company goals. This form of recognition naturally infuses employees with more confidence and purpose, which leads to higher engagement and professional drive.
Top-performing recognition programs typically employ various recognition efforts. When implemented together, peer-to-peer and manager-to-employee recognition work harmoniously to shape a healthy and success-driven company culture.
While all forms of recognition can impact employee engagement and satisfaction, manager-to-employee recognition is distinct for its ability to:
Managers know the big picture, and they understand the unique role that every worker plays within the company. This enables them to give more specific and personalized feedback that relates to each employee’s goalposts.
Positive feedback from managers is perceived as representative of the entire organization. When managers give recognition, employees feel more sure that they’re a valuable asset to the organization, and they feel more confident that their manager will advocate for them to higher-ups.
When managers praise workers for their accomplishments, it sets a standard for success that other team members can strive for. Employees gain an understanding of which behaviors are worthy of recognition, and they are motivated to achieve public recognition.
An important caveat is that public recognition is only motivating when it’s given equitably — otherwise, workers may feel resentful that only certain employees are receiving praise.
Managers embody company values and attributes. When employees see managers giving praise, they want to emulate this behavior and blend into the company culture of recognition. In other words, manager-to-employee recognition directly leads to increased peer-to-peer recognition.
Employees want to know that their managers are looking out for them. By providing ongoing recognition, managers relay the message that they are attentive to employee efforts and invested in their success. This, in turn, solidifies employee trust in the management team.
What does manager-to-employee recognition actually look like? It can manifest itself in several ways, such as:
This can be as simple as a “great job” or “thank you,” or it could be a more formal one-on-one performance review.
Spotlighting employees in internal communications, praising individuals in team meetings, and shouting out team wins on social media all help boost morale and reinforce positive behavior.
Sending a star employee a thoughtful email or giving them a handwritten thank you card is a nice personal touch that can be particularly meaningful for workers.
Milestone or achievement awards promote loyalty and dedication to the organization. When workers know that their commitment and successes are recognized with plaques, trophies, or accolades, they’re more energized about their roles.
Rewards programs and performance bonuses provide incredible return on investment (ROI), as they cut turnover costs and increase productivity.
One of the highest forms of professional recognition is a promotion. A promotion is a powerful acknowledgment that the employee has excelled so much that they’ve outgrown their role.
According to Gallup, only 14.5% of managers strongly agree they are good at giving feedback.
Although recognition may seem like a simple task, the reality is that it takes emotional intelligence, humility, and prioritization to ensure that employees receive proper recognition.
If your workplace is earnestly seeking to improve recognition, it’s essential to arm managers with the tools and knowledge they need to give good praise. Here are some strategies to consider:
Decades of research point to the incredible advantages of employee recognition programs. One of the first things you should do when undertaking top-led recognition efforts is to provide data on the benefits of this practice. The benefits of recognition include:
Host recognition workshops and training sessions that educate management on how to provide effective recognition. Key topics to address include how to identify achievements, best practices for delivering meaningful feedback, and the use of recognition software.
Managers deserve praise, too! When they feel appreciated and valued by company executives, they’ll be more likely to pass along recognition to their teams. Company leadership should provide regular recognition to senior leaders and follow the same practices that it asks managers to follow.
Rather than merely telling team leads to recognize employees frequently, help them understand what this looks like so they can build it into their schedule. For example:
Encourage weekly 20-minute time blocks for reflecting on employee wins
Suggest a good quantity of weekly compliments or shout-outs
Recommend a minimum number of annual one-on-one meetings
Remember to be realistic about your managers’ time constraints. If recognition is truly a top priority, it may need to replace other less important tasks on their calendar.
One of the best ways you can empower managers to recognize employees is by giving them a budget to do so. While recognition can often be free, there’s a time and place for giving rewards or bonuses.
Some managers naturally excel at giving recognition and cultivating team engagement. These individuals often have large social networks and are highly effective at demonstrating company values. Identify these high performers, elevate them as engagement influencers, and provide them with tools and resources to spearhead engagement and recognition efforts.
Develop clear criteria for what constitutes noteworthy achievements. Consider your company’s values and goals, as you’ll want to recognize individuals who reflect your values and/or advance your company goals.
You’ll also want to decide how different accomplishments are recognized. For example, you might decide that a gift card is ideal for an employee who meets a sales goal, while a thoughtful card makes sense for an employee who exhibits prized character traits.
Keep in mind that managers will likely have ongoing questions about what actions or accomplishments deserve recognition, and to what extent. Be sure to maintain open communication and welcome requests for clarification.
Managers have a lot on their plates and they’ll appreciate any efforts to lighten their load. Providing your workforce with recognition software is a great way to make recognition easier and more automated — not to mention more fun!
Rewards and recognition programs like WorkProud feature powerful tools for praising achievements, acknowledging milestones, and monitoring engagement data. Packed with social media-like interactive dashboards, gamified point-earning opportunities, and rewards catalogs, recognition platforms can greatly increase company-wide engagement.
Recognition programs pay off tremendously. They generate more company revenue, increase employee satisfaction, and boost productivity metrics. As you evaluate your current recognition practices and seek out ways to improve program outcomes, it’s crucial to equip your senior leadership with the tools they need to succeed.
By providing curated training sessions, resources, and advanced software like WorkProud, you’ll help management give recognition in a way that drives measurable results. Our software empowers managers to give feedback that’s frequent, meaningful, and punctual — the core attributes of high-performing rewards and recognition programs. Try our features for yourself, or invite your managers to sign up for a free demo! Click here to get started.
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