Recognition and Reward in a Remote First World

Over the last few posts on the?Zestfor blog, we have shared various ideas around leading in a remote-first world as employers and their employees navigate a new way of working.?

The hybrid model isn’t new although the impact of increased remote working as a standard practice has pushed leaders to review their ideas on motivating,?managing, recognising and rewarding their people.?

It is critical to remember that flexible working is no longer just a perk – for many employees, it’s an expectation. Those in and out of the office must be regarded equally in a hybrid environment.?

In today’s post, I want to talk about a key element of leading a team: employee recognition and reward. Which is often lacking. Now with the additional layer of complexity with remote teams this needs to be considered more deeply.?

The many benefits of employee recognition are well documented. Recognition, rewards and reinforcement are linked to higher motivation, engagement, and productivity levels, In today’s skill-short talent economy, the ability to attract and retain the best talent is even more important.

The Science Behind Recognition as a Motivator?

?Recognition is a basic human requirement.?

Employee recognition is more than just a thank you for doing a good job. It’s something our brains are hardwired to need.?

Recognition results in the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain. Dopamine stimulates the parts of the brain that processes rewards and creates positive emotions like satisfaction and enjoyment.?

Gallup?produced one of the groundbreaking articles about praising employees, revealing that receiving praise and recognition releases dopamine in the brain, creating feelings of both pride and pleasure.?

Even better, the article revealed that more ‘dopamine hits’ cements the knowledge that more of that behaviour will create even more praise, and so on.?

Despite these measurable benefits, consistent recognition is sorely lacking in real-world work settings. A research document from the Society of Human Resource Management found that 65% of employees haven’t received any form of recognition for good work in the last year.??

When people aren’t appreciated for their hard work, they aren’t as inclined to continue to produce. In the era of the ‘great resignation’, they are more likely to move to an organisation that does recognise them and their contribution.?

Because of this, recognition is a powerful tool for businesses looking to keep their employees engaged, even when they’re working remotely.??

It’s easy to send someone a quick note saying “thank you” for a job well done.??

But by investing the time to tailor your appreciation, you can take your recognition to the next level. Whether you tie your praise back to their personal development or the value they are adding to the organisation; your specificity is a great way of making your employees feel connected to the company.?

For many organisations implementing hybrid working or where remote working is fully employed, the approach to recognition needs to be re-evaluated.?

It can be easy to overlook your employees’ less obvious contributions if they’re remote, which can cause underlying resentment.?

The last-minute free team lunch, impromptu team drinks after work, and the non-monetary rewards that make sense for office workers don’t translate.??

So here are some ideas to make reward and recognition work for every team member.?

Ask What They Want?

Employee surveys let you stop the guesswork. Your people know what makes them feel rewarded and recognised – all you have to do is ask them and listen to their answers.?

Within your survey, give options of what might be possible that would work for everyone. For example, one company we work with offers incentives, including an early finish and reward vouchers which can be enjoyed by everyone on the team.?

Then factor this feedback into whatever process you implement to ensure reward and recognition are embedded throughout your organisation.?

Be Mindful of Bias?

‘Presence disparity’ or ‘presence bias’ might not be a term you have heard before though you will be familiar with it in practice. It’s about people’s different experiences of the same event if they’re not in the same physical space – like a team or new project briefing meeting in person and via video call.?

So, what’s the issue???

There are many ways presence disparity causes problems: unclear communication due to missing body language cues, people forgetting others have called in, or conversations continuing ‘offline’ without the remote participants.?

You can deploy several simple strategies to minimise the impact of this type of bias.?

As a first start, ensure the process of facilitating hybrid or remote working is clear.?

Communicate your policy, so everyone knows and understands expectations – and is aware of the pitfalls of presence disparity.?

For example, decide how meetings work: should every meeting be a video call? Perhaps remote team members are the leaders of meetings and submit talking points ahead of time, giving them a fair opportunity to contribute.??

Use Communication Channels For Reward and Recognition?

?As a first start, uplevel your equipment.?

Though many teams have already done this, invest in quality video conferencing, so calls from the office aren’t an ordeal. Look at instant messaging applications to reflect people’s communicative styles for a new way of getting the job done.?

Then use these channels to communicate your appreciation. Communicating ‘thank you’ and ‘well done’ – both one-to-one and to your team as a whole will make a huge difference.?

Remember, at our base level, as human beings, we want to be appreciated.?

Until next time,?

Julia?

About Julia Carter

Julia Carter is the MD of?Zestfor?Ltd?and?specialises in working with leaders and managers of virtual teams to improve team effectiveness.

Our leadership training programmes are designed to help you lead and manage teams in a period of change. If you want to know more,?contact me here and I will be in touch.