How to boost engagement with company culture via recognition
A company’s culture is a powerful tool, setting it apart from competitors in the minds of prospective employees, partners, and clients. Comprised of your core values and practices, your culture defines how your employees and business behave and your overall aspirations.
A strong company culture helps your business thrive, especially when your leaders and workforce are aligned.
Engaging and aligning employees
Engaging and aligning your employees with your company culture starts the moment they read your job advertisement. Make it clear who you are and what behaviours and attitudes you desire and expect from the people who join your business.
Whether a person is the right fit or not is a mutual decision. By clarifying your culture and expectations during that first interaction, you ensure only those who share your values apply.
Get to know potential recruits during interviews, with culture-based questions included to ensure they have the right qualities for your business.
The role of reward and recognition
For a value-driven culture to thrive, continuity is vital. Your recognition and reward strategy is an effective way to reinforce the behaviour and values you want your employees to embrace.
But the traditional sales incentives model isn’t suitable for all departments and working practices.
Incentivising a sales team to meet targets achieves results. By adding your values into your strategy, you’re allowing every department and person in your business to shine.
KPIs can keep your business on target, but core values keep you true to your culture. Defining your core values and aligning your reward, recognition and incentive strategies with them ensures you always keep sight of what you want your business to represent.
It’s also an inclusive way to reward and recognise individual success and contribution.
Peer-to-peer recognition
Perhaps one of the most beneficial elements of a value and culture-driven reward and recognition strategy is the opportunity it creates for peer-to-peer recognition.
Embed a recognition platform into your business where colleagues can nominate each other when they see them demonstrating recognisable behaviours. It’s a fantastic way to boost morale, camaraderie and employee engagement while cementing the importance of your core values.
Some 84% of HR leaders agree that embedding an employee reward and recognition platform and strategy boosts employee engagement and retention rates.
As Sodexo Engage explains in it guide to creating an effective reward strategy, improving your EVP with a robust reward and recognition strategy helps attract top talent and shorten the recruitment process.
Rewards that fit your culture
It’s essential to consider what you offer as part of your recognition strategy.
If your culture celebrates individuality, then your rewards must mirror this. You want your rewards to delight your employees, not deflate them.
Inclusivity is key, as is freedom of choice.
Some employees will appreciate more money in their pocket, but others may prefer more time to spend as they choose. Consider all reward solutions, including those that are non-financial.
If you’re going down the financial route, make it cost-effective.
In Pluxee UK's guide to rewarding people at Christmas by giving them more for less, it delves into the importance of choice. It’s essential to remember that your recognition strategy is about more than reward – it can provide critical financial support during the cost-of-living crisis, stretching salaries further.
When your rewards strategy reflects your values, you strengthen your culture and authenticity. Lead from the top, and the rest of your workforce will follow.
In partnership with Pluxee UK
Pluxee UK, is a leading employee benefits and engagement partner that opens up a world of opportunities to help people enjoy more of what really matters in their lives.
