7 ways to use social recognition to drive purpose and belonging
Social recognition focuses on celebrating success together and building meaningful relationships with each other.
And while social recognition is gratifying for the individual being singled out for great work, it’s also beneficial for the workplace, enhancing employees’ perceptions of the company and their connections with each other.
Social recognition that is values-led – linking individuals’ accomplishments and behaviours to the company’s purpose and values – also ensures employees have a strong sense of purpose.
Recognition in all directions
True social recognition takes place regularly, sincerely and in all directions – from leader-to-employee, employee-to-leader and peer-to-peer. When employee success is spread across the organisation it results in a 57% increase in feelings of appreciation, 44% increase in feeling the organisation is successful and being 82% more likely that employees strongly understand what success looks like, according to O.C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report.
Sharing recognition moments can also boost employee motivation and strengthen the all-important sense of belonging.
Here are seven ways to use social recognition:
1. Hold career anniversary events
Celebrate key employee milestones with an emphasis on celebrating early year anniversaries – one, three and five years. Involving friends and co-workers will create a shared celebration. Plus, by presenting the recipient with a meaningful symbolic award together with a ‘year book’ in which colleagues and managers have contributed personal notes of thanks, will make the moment memorable.
2. Publicly celebrate accomplishments and effort
Don’t just leave public displays of appreciation to anniversaries. There must be regular moments of recognition when employees go ‘above and beyond’. Ensuring the moments are purposeful rather than an afterthought, personalised and authentic will make them effective.
3. Incorporate ‘thank yous’ into every meeting
Ensure recognition is on all meeting agendas. Asking employees who they would like to praise for doing something special will ensure that recognition is not just top-down but is also peer-to-peer. When colleagues openly recognise each other, it strengthens team bonds and sense of community.
4. Use eCards
Everyday eCards recognise superior work when it happens and are a great way to encourage peer-to-peer recognition. They can be sent privately or made public (perhaps via a social feed – see below) so that others are made aware of who has gone ‘above and beyond’ and why they are being appreciated. Highlighting what ‘great work’ looks like will also encourage others to mirror the right behaviours.
5. Run performance awards
Consider running formal awards once or more a year in which colleagues can nominate colleagues. The categories must support inclusivity so that everyone has a chance to win and not just the sales team, for example. All colleagues need to have the ability to put forward nominations and explain the reasons for their nominations.
6. Encourage social sharing across the organisation
An employee recognition platform includes capabilities to amplify social sharing. This can be taken advantage of by configuring social recognition feeds to include activity from all colleagues. This might be in the form of a ‘recognition wall’. Everyone can then ‘like’, comment on and share the recognition moments to amplify them further.
7. Share on public social media
Internal social feeds aren’t the only places to share recognition. Service or performance recognition, for example, can be appropriately shared on public social media sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter.
When an organisation’s recognition programme is focused on making it ‘social’, every employee will share in the company’s success and feel inspired to recognise their peers as a natural reaction to great work. The result will be greater levels of engagement and a culture of appreciation, trust and belonging.
In partnership with O. C. Tanner
Giving teams the integrated tools they need when, where and how they need them.
