7 reasons why your recognition scheme might be failing
Employees who receive strong recognition are more likely to work at 80% of their capacity or higher and be 33% more innovative. However, not all recognition programmes are effective, with some organisations quick to tick recognition off their list and move on to the next task without ensuring it’s being done well.
Some common reasons why recognition programmes fail.
1. Some programmes are only set-up to recognise top performers. This means just a small percentage of employees are being recognised when they achieve great things, often the top sales people.
However, organisational success doesn’t just happen due to a few highflyers, it’s the cumulative efforts and achievements of all employees across all departments and locations.
Recognising everyone who puts in a little extra effort or goes the extra mile creates a far more inclusive workforce in which everyone - and not just the chosen few - feel appreciated and valued.
2. Recognition programmes are less likely to be successful when recognise employees in an ad hoc fashion rather than regularly. Recognition must become a constant in an organisation, not just every few months or worse, annually.
If recognition is left rather than given in a timely way, the moment is missed. The manager and peers will have forgotten the details of why the employee is being recognised and the recipient will feel neglected.
Recognition must become a common fixture of the company, happening regularly and in a timely way for it to have impact.
3. If peer-to-peer recognition isn’t encouraged it simply won’t happen, and the most successful recognition programmes champion recognition peer-to-peer as well as from manager-to-employee and employee-to-manager. But if employees are to recognise their colleagues, the organisation must make it easy to do, including integrating recognition technology with employees’ daily flow of work.
4. It’s also common to see recognition given in a generic fashion rather than in a personalised and tailored way, and the latter is far more effective. After all, ‘thanks for your great work with the project’ means a lot less than a manager and/or peer explaining exactly why an employee is being recognised. Non-specific giving of praise is simply a wasted opportunity.
5. Not making the recognition moment memorable is another common failing. And this can be due to how recognition is delivered. If it’s given as an after-thought rather than in a purposeful way, the recipient won’t feel special. In contrast, if the recognition is given formally in front of managers and peers, the importance of the moment is elevated, making it far more meaningful.
6. Not making the recognition values-based is a wasted chance to align employees’ achievements and behaviours with the bigger picture. Employees want to feel that their work contributes to a common goal and helps to realise a powerful purpose, and when the recognition giver praises the employee’s contribution towards achieving these, the moment is made all the more special.
Witnesses to the recognition also have a better understanding of what ‘good’ looks like, creating a positive ripple effect across the organisation.
7. Finally, organisations that see a recognition programme as a standalone initiative are unlikely to see major results. When this approach is taken rather than viewing recognition as a crucial piece of the culture, the programme is more likely to become stale and lose much of its impact on individuals and teams. Integrating recognition into everyday culture should therefore become an organisational goal.
For organisations wanting to get the most from their recognition programme, it needs to be nurtured every single day so that it becomes an integrated part of the employee experience. And when a recognition programme is loved, it will deliver powerful results.
In partnership with O. C. Tanner
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