The Power of Employee Recognition in Building Company Pride

Great employee recognition has the power to build high-performing teams that are proud to work for your company. And the right employee recognition technology makes it easier than ever to give timely, authentic recognition.

The power of recognition

Great employee recognition has the power to positively impact a company’s bottom line. A recent study by WorkProud found that employee recognition programs can help increase company pride among employees and boost productivity — even more so than monetary rewards. But how? When employee recognition hits the mark, other factors such as absenteeism, workplace safety, retention, and burnout also improve. Together, these factors make it possible to create a high-performing business culture that employees are proud to be a part of.

Employee recognition builds company pride

A survey by the Brandon Hall Group showed that when companies have a strong culture of recognition and appreciation, employees are 79% more likely to give their brand a high rating. When an employee is recognized in a timely and personalized manner, they feel more connected to the company’s mission. Why? Because giving recognition helps employees see they’re making a difference. When done well, recognition sends a clear message that an employee’s work directly impacts the company and its success.

Employees take pride in working for an organization that celebrates employee achievements and encourages recognition at all levels. That kind of pride can help elevate your employer brand. And a proud team of employees combined with a strong employer brand helps you attract and retain top talent.

Leader recognition leads the way

Leaders play a critical role in the success of employee recognition programs. By actively engaging in recognition themselves, leaders send a clear message that recognition is important to the company – a part of the culture and something that is valued across the organization. One of the most impactful things business leaders can do is to recognize the accomplishments of employees at all levels.

Examples of leader recognition

• A CFO recognizes an employee who came up with an innovative way to improve the customer experience while saving the company money.
• A CEO recognizes an entire team that led the company through an important change management process.

Leader recognition builds positive relationships and improves teamwork

Great leaders also know how important it is to build positive relationships with employees. And employee recognition can help with that too. A recent study found that when people combine self-promotion (promoting oneself) with other promotion (promoting others), it projects competence and warmth. This dual-promotion, as the authors call it, creates a more favorable impression as well.

When leaders take the time to call out the impact specific teams and individuals have, employees feel more valued. They see that someone at the top is aware of their hard work and appreciative of its impact. Leaders who regularly practice dual-promotion can set a great example for all employees. When employees shout out the great work they accomplished thanks to the help of other employees, it helps boost team morale and increase feelings of positivity towards their work and the company.

Leaders should encourage recognition among teams

Leaders should also encourage peer-to-peer and manager recognition. As the dual-promotion study showed, those who recognize the impact of team members on their own success are viewed more favorably than individuals who spoke only of their own accomplishments. When employees are encouraged to share their own success in combination with others involved, they help build a culture of recognition and create a more positive view of themselves as great team players.

Examples of peer-to-peer recognition

• An employee who recently led a live webinar with record-breaking attendance boasts about the numbers and thanks the content marketing team who made it possible.
• An employee who led their first new product launch shares their excitement about it and thanks their manager for the guidance and support they provided.

Technology improves employee recognition efforts

Today’s employee recognition technology makes it easier than ever to engage in company recognition programs – whether you’re in the office, working from home, or traveling. Software and apps offer highly personalized, sincere, and consistent opportunities for recognition. Technology enables more timely recognition, but it also encourages employees to recognize one another more through gamification models and actions that mimic social media.

Send recognition reminders

Employee recognition technology goes beyond a few clicks. In fact, it’s those few clicks that can help take a recognition program to the next level. Employees are busy, but technology can serve as a reminder to recognize one another. It can also provide powerful examples of what authentic recognition looks like.

Extend the life of a recognition moment

Technology can help extend the life of a recognition moment as well. When employees across a company can like, share, or comment on recognition, that moment lives beyond when the recognition was given. It’s an opportunity for others to share in the recognition. It’s also a great reminder that giving recognition is easy and only takes a few seconds.

Analyze employee recognition data

Employee recognition technology also provides companies with data. That data can be used to see what teams are the most engaged in recognition efforts, what forms of recognition are most commonly used, and where there may be gaps in employee recognition efforts. Human resources teams can compare employee engagement or training efforts to employee recognition data. They may find, for example, that teams with lower engagement scores tend to have lower recognition. Or, they may find that leaders without any recognition training may not be using the technology available to them.

Build proud and productive teams with the right recognition

Employee recognition benefits everyone. As more companies adopt hybrid and remote models, it will be increasingly important for business leaders to commit to making recognition part of their company culture. Integrating today’s employee recognition technologies is one of the easiest ways to ensure recognition is easy for everyone to participate in – regardless of where they sit or what their role is.

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