Why managers are the unsung heroes of recognition
Managers play a pivotal role in employee recognition, often acting as the frontline heroes who shine a spotlight on the big and small achievements of their team.
Their relationships with colleagues and recognition of team members directly impacts employee morale and engagement – two key ingredients for building a thriving workplace culture and long-term business success.
In this article, we’re going to highlight five ways that managerial recognition plays a powerful role in reinforcing and strengthening workplace culture.
How managerial recognition drives workplace culture
1. Boosting employee morale
About half (51%) of employees believe that direct recognition from their managers positively impacts their morale and engagement, demonstrating the power people leaders have in shaping how their team members feel about work.
By regularly recognising employees and shining a spotlight on their achievements, managers can positively influence the mindset of their colleagues, helping to increase job satisfaction, boost motivation and improve performance.
Employees that feel positive and fulfilled at work will naturally transfer these feelings onto others, helping forge a workplace culture where individuals feel optimistic and satisfied.
2. Reinforcing core values
Company values play an integral role in solidifying company culture - they provide a behavioural framework that represent what your business stands for and how employees should operate.
Because managers have a direct line of communication with their team members, they have the ability to influence behaviour by personally modelling your company values. Not only does this show employees what ‘good’ looks like, but it helps them understand what your values really mean.
Beyond that, managerial recognition will also highlight moments where employees demonstrate your company values themselves, further solidifying and reinforcing your business’ culture.
By integrating your core values into a reward and recognition programme, and therefore formalising the process of reinforcing your values, managers and other colleagues will be able to drive workplace culture too.
3. Building a sense of purpose
Employee rewards and recognition set clear goals and help employees attach meaning to the work they do. Managers that regularly recognise individual and team contributions amplify this sense of purpose, by helping connect employees’ day-to-day efforts to the bigger picture.
Plus, managerial recognition demonstrates that what their team does matters – their individual work actually counts for something. Providing this sense of purpose brings employees together to work towards a common goal and cultivates a culture where individuals are motivated by more than just salary and perks – they genuinely believe in what they do.
4. Enhancing employee loyalty
It’s often said that people don’t leave jobs, they leave bad mangers. And in many cases, this is true. Employees that feel genuinely appreciated by their managers and valued as individuals – not just for their work contributions – are more likely to stay with their employer.
A great way to build this sense of appreciation is for managers to regularly acknowledge their team’s professional and personal milestones. This kind of recognition demonstrates that employees are valued on a human level.
Encouragingly, over half of employees agree that their line manager acknowledges their personal and professional milestones, showing that the unsung heroes are already making a difference.
Managerial recognition like this helps foster a culture where people feel seen, heard and respected. When individuals feel like they matter to a business, the connection goes the other way and loyalty naturally follows. So, managers that embrace recognition will help create a culture where people want to stay, grow and thrive.
5. Strengthening team unity
Recognition doesn’t have to be limited to individual achievements. In fact, team recognition can be just as – if not more – powerful in driving unity between individuals and strengthening workplace culture.
When managers take the time to highlight team successes and collaborative wins, it reinforces the idea that great work happens together. Beyond that, team recognition reminds individuals that they’re all working towards the same goal.
While roles differ and daily priorities vary, everyone is contributing to a bigger picture. As a result, team recognition from managers helps build trust, encourages cross-functional collaboration and fosters a sense of shared purpose.
While company-wide recognition programmes play a valuable role in driving culture, alongside other key business outcomes, we’ve established that managers are the unsung heroes.
Managers’ relationships with team members puts them in an influential position, and our research has already shown that their direct recognition drives employee morale and engagement. To turn these unsung heroes into culture champions, having the right tools and resources is essential. Plus, they deserve to be recognised too.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Boostworks
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