How evolving your recognition strategy can support workforce connections during uncertainty

Any company going through changes need to keep recognition and reward at the forefront of its priorities.

From mergers to economic turmoil, when organisations experience change – whether planned or not – they require strategies which nurture feelings of psychological safety and belonging.

Employees need reassurance and to feel a close connection with their colleagues, managers and the organisation during times of uncertainty and, as part of this, recognition has an important role to play.

People-first

Any organisational change must be people-centric. We hear the importance of “taking your people along with you” and yet it’s all too easy to forget this and implement change from the top-down with minimal consideration for how employees are coping amid the turbulence.

Of course, leaders must be empowered with the tools and know-how to support the change, with organisations adopting transparent communications and employee feedback channels.

At the same time, leaders must prioritise recognition.

Nurturing belonging and security

Employee recognition isn’t just about celebrating successes and rewarding efforts so employees deliver their best work.

The impacts it has across all elements of the employee experience can be profound, with an ability to nurture belonging, strengthen connections and support psychological safety, which is especially important during periods of uncertainty.

When recognition happens frequently – ideally it is built into the daily employee experience – is personalised, given for a variety of reasons, and meaningful, employees feel a strong sense of community and a heightened level of security in their role.

They feel noticed, valued, understood, and considered, and this is absolutely crucial when change is happening. It’s so easy for employees to feel anxious and ignored otherwise.

O.C. Tanner found that during a crisis, employees who are recognised by their employer are 44% less likely to feel that their organisation is underprepared for the crisis and are much more likely to feel supported by their organisation.

Building blocks for effective recognition

So what does it mean to prioritise recognition during organisational change?

Firstly, leaders must ensure all managers understand the importance of recognising and appreciating their people.

In companies where recognition is second nature, this will be well understood and practiced, but for other companies, the “why” and “how” of recognition might require some recognition training.

Giving recognition daily must be encouraged, with a focus on appreciating those employee behaviours that are especially important during uncertain times, such as teamwork, resilience, innovation, and agility.

If an employee works hard to nurture a feeling of team spirit, or shows an innovative new way of working in response to sudden change, organisations must recognise and reward them in front of their managers and peers. This will also encourage the desired behaviours to be replicated by others.

Recognition must always be meaningful and personalised to make it all the more memorable, helping strengthen workplace relationships.

This includes calling out the individual’s unique characteristics and skills that contributed to the success, and inviting peers and managers to volunteer their own words of gratitude and thoughtful anecdotes.

It’s also crucial not to forget deskless workers, especially during times of change when organisational comms are so often email messages and intranet updates.

Leaders must remind managers that their field workers and frontline teams need to be recognised as much as their desk-based employees, with recognition going offline as and when necessary.

While a recognition platform is a crucial means for giving and receiving recognition, a range of recognition tools should be used, from hand-delivered thank you notes, and recognition given during team meetings, through to tokens of appreciation being posted to employees’ homes.

Recognition must always be adapted accordingly so everyone feels included, important and connected.

Managing the change

During organisational turmoil and uncertainty, a key ingredient for effectively managing change is employee recognition.

With its ability to bring people together, foster trust and help the workforce to feel safe and secure, the power of effectively appreciating others can mean the difference between well-managed change, and employees who are fearful, skeptical and concerned about the future.