Dear CEO and HR- Recognition and appreciation aren't the same. Sometimes you miss the mark. Sincerely, Employee

Recognition and appreciation should be a constant discussion with the leaders in your company. It can completely alter employee engagement and retention. Properly communicating recognition and appreciation can ensure the receipt of the “real” message and a feeling of personalization for the employee.

Dear CEO and HR-

That All Hands meeting last quarter when you said “thank you for all you do” and “you all make us the company we are” made me cringe.

When you put other people’s names in big letters in front of the company; I felt insignificant and of little value.

Why? Because you didn’t call me out by name and tell me that I did a good job as well; simply because a customer or employee didn’t write you and talk me up.

What you didn’t know was that I worked 16 hours last Friday when my family expected me home early for a robotics competition and I missed it. But I saved the day for three of our customers and a handful of your employees. And there hasn’t been a day in 90 days when I haven’t checked my company email or worked a 12-hour work day (at least).

What you didn’t say was that I’m awesome and so is the person sitting next to me whose name you didn’t announce either.

Sincerely, Employee

Sometimes global appreciation and recognition miss the mark. Companies have many pieces of their organization to consider when planning how to recognize and appreciate their employees. An example would be the budgets for each department and how profits and losses directly affect the available cash flow to put back into the company’s most important asset – their employee. A cost saving strategy is global events such as All Hands meetings, parties, mass emails and much more. This strategy can be an efficient form of recognition and appreciation, keep the company within or under budget and make the leaders feel like they have done their due diligence to make the employee feel valued.

The definition of recognition is “the identification of something as having been previously seen, heard, known, etc.” Recognition is primarily the act of verbally (or through writing) acknowledging something that had been done at some time, by someone.

The definition of appreciation is “the act of estimating qualities of things and giving them their proper value.” Appreciation is primarily the act of placing value and then communicating value (verbally, through action, through writing) to an individual, group or organization.

All Hands meetings are great for communicating with the employees the current state of the company, updates on goals and financial information. During these meetings you can discuss initiatives, incentives and any challenges in the organization. This meeting is a great opportunity to communicate how employees can assist with the current challenges that the company is facing as well as what the company is doing to assist with the current challenges that the employee is facing.

Recognition should be sincere and unique. When you consider using recognition as a motivator; remember that the word is synonymous with acknowledgment. You are acknowledging something that you have seen, heard or received knowledge of. Additionally, singling out individuals in a global meeting can do damage to the moral of the majority of your company.

Appreciation should be communicated regularly. Appreciation is synonymous with “value”. The value and worth of an individual should be tailored to the recipient, should be genuine and more frequent than once per year (annual review process).

Dear CEO and HR-

Genuinely listen to your direct reports and show them appreciation in a meaningful way for them. Each individual person responds to certain kinds of appreciation (global, letter of recognition, one-on-one lunch, small gift, and more). Appreciation is contagious and will be passed on from Executive to Manager and Manager to Employee.

You just have to start somewhere. So, reach out to an employee you know works hard but works from the shadows and simply engage them in communication. When the time is right and you’ve learned what they value most, show them genuine, individualized appreciation.

During your next All Hands, share company progress and team recognition. Do not single out employees as it’s possible that the attention may embarrass them OR you could make your culture worse by not mentioning those who already feel invisible to you.

You can make a difference. It only takes one person to start events of appreciation and recognition. Why not you?

Love, Me.

About the Author: Dawn McMurrin is the Founder of Love, Me., a company which focuses on leadership coaching, employee engagement and retention. Dawn has a passion for making others feel valued and appreciated. Through training and mentoring, Dawn enjoys coaching others to achieve an increased self-awareness and higher emotional intelligence. In her personal life, Dawn loves to pay it forward through community service to those in need, assisting individuals and non-profits overcome the same communication barriers that are inherent in business and spending time in the beautiful mountains of Utah with her family. 

Works Cited