"Unlocking the Power of Employee Recognition: Boosting Morale, Productivity, and Retention"

I was on the phone with an HR Director who had contacted me for help with their low employee engagement. I asked her about their most recent engagement survey, so I could get an idea of where some of the problems were.?

When she shared with me the three lowest domains, I’m wasn’t surprised.?

Because in nearly every engagement survey I get a chance to look at, there’s one area that’s typically among the bottom three.?

Yet, it’s one of the easiest and least complicated things to fix.?

And fix it you must, because this one domain is actually an indicator of other problems that are lurking below the surface. It’s sort of a litmus test that tells us a lot.?

I’m talking about Employee Recognition, not the corporate rewards-type program either, but simple manager-to-employee, recognition and appreciation.?

So why is recognition a potential indicator of other problems??

Because recognition is itself a form of performance feedback. So if recognition isn’t happening, there’s a good chance that other forms of performance feedback are not happening either.

After all, which is easier, to tell someone they’re doing a great job or to confront somone about their problem behavior?

Recognition also requires managers to be in tune with the day-to-day actions of their staff. A lack of recognition can also mean that a manager is out of touch with what’s really going on with his or her direct reports.?

So the next time you see low scores regarding recognition, understand that it’s a bigger problem than people feeling under appreciated.?

And if you want to see a noticeable lift in employee morale, then get your managers to start doing a better job rewarding and recognizing their employees.?

But if this is so simple, why are more managers not better at this??

Barriers to Recognition?

Recognition can feel awkward.?First off, recognizing employees is not natural. We think it should be. But for many managers it can feel awkward.

Managers get buried in task work.?Many managers don’t recognize their employees more because they just don’t think about it. They’re too busy running around managing tasks and getting mired in the weeds that they forget to do it. The mean well, but it doesn't happen.?

They don’t what to say.?Many managers don’t know what to say, or how to say it, so they opt to skip it all together. What doesn’t help is that many managers have not had good role models in this area?

Isn’t this HR’s job??Lastly, some managers think it’s HR’s job to create a recognition program so they don’t have to do it themselves. But the most powerful recognition doesn’t come from a corporate program, but rather from the mouth of an employee’s immediate boss.?

Recognition is about Reinforcement.?If you want your managers to start recognizing and appreciating your employees then you need a better approach then just telling them it’s a good idea or something they should do.?

You have to help them see recognition for what it really is.

Recognition is one of their most potent tools in their toolkit, because recognition is about reinforcement.?

What gets rewarded gets repeated and a manager’s success hinges on their ability to motivate the right behaviors among their employees. There is no reinforcement as powerful than simple recognition and appreciation.?

So, if your managers are not recognizing your employees then they’re not actively promoting the behaviors that lead to your organization’s success.?

And if that’s not happening, your company isn't firing on all cylinders.?

But when you help your managers see recognition in this light, they begin to buy-in. Instead of seeing it as an employee feel-good technique, they’re now able to use it strategically to inspire excellence and boost morale.?

Two Things To Help Your Managers Change?After you get your managers to buy in, you need to show them how to do it. Remember, recognition is not as natural as we would like to think. Your managers need steps they can follow to get them started. Here’s two important parts to this process.?

1. Clarity?- Help your managers get crystal clear on the types of behaviors they need their employees to embody in order to be successful. These are the behaviors they want to focus their recognition and appreciation on.

2. Practical Training?- Give your employees a simple model they can follow to initially structure their recognition. It needs to be specific, timely, and most important, linked to the bigger why. When your managers recognize staff with these elements, it creates powerful reinforcement principles that boost morale and produce results.?

In my leadership program, Nine Minutes on Monday, I teach something called?The Recognition Codes?which shows you the four kinds of recognition you can use to reinforce behavior.?

The Recognition Codes?provide a plug-and-play framework to help them craft simple recognition statements that are short, powerful, and effective. It’s one of the favorite parts of the program because as your managers learn it, they can immediately put it into practice and see results right away.?

One example of this, is to recognize key behaviors.

To do this I have managers list out the key behaviors that most contribute to the success of their team. It's important to really drill down on this. It can't just be something generic like, "When employees trust each other." Rather, "when an employee is honest and admits they behind schedule, and the team responds with support, and solutions."

It's thinking through your team and identifying the key behaviors that you want to reinforce. This helps you to be more intentional in you performance feedback, and therefore you recognize with a purpose.?

This is a key step because as your managers clarify for themselves, what behaviors they want to reinforce, they will automatically start to notice them, making it easier to catch someone doing something right.

It's sort of like when you decide to buy a Tesla, then you will see them everywhere, because you will have primed your brain to see them.

So imagine your managers showing up each week, intentionally reinforcing key behaviors through sincere recognition and appreciation. The smiles return, the passion reignites, and people’s engagement increases.?

And the recognition module in my?Nine Minutes on Monday Leadership Program?is only one of nine engagement domains to help transform your organization. All of nine drivers are important but recognition is where you easiest win is.?

So get your managers consistently using recognition as a strategic tool and you'll see several other areas turn around at the same time. After all who doesn't want to hear something nice about themselves once in a while at work.

And if you’re interested in having your managers go through the Nine Minutes on Monday workshop or the Online Training Program then check it out our upcoming live workshop to help turn your busy, task-focused managers into inspirational leaders who boost morale and engagement.?

Nine Minutes on Monday Live Workshop

#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #employeerecognition #employeeengagement #HR