7 habits to build a culture of recognition at work

People will always appreciate a kind word of encouragement or recognition. It’s a way to make your people feel heard, understood and appreciated. It’s also often comes at no cost to the company. In short, recognition programs are the easiest, lowest cost way to boost morale and employee appreciation in your company.

You can easily put in place habits which cultivate the recognition and celebration of the successes and efforts of your people. Here's 7 habits to build a culture of recognition at work:

1. Peer Recognition Programs: Create a system where employees can recognize each other's support - for example a “High Five" 2-minute agenda item at every team meeting as practiced by Simon Sinek and his team, where staff members are encouraged to high five a colleague in recognition of their support. If you have remote or hybrid teams, consider an online “Kudos Board” where coworkers can post notes or virtual high fives for each other. Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams can also feature dedicated “recognition channels” so appreciation is visible to the whole company.

2. Public Recognition: Use team meetings or a company-wide email to share individual achievements. You can also use a bulletin board or an intranet site to celebrate employees and their achievements, big or small.

3. Employee Awards: Develop an employee of the month program or similar awards. These can be voted on by employees, making them even more meaningful. Zappos call center employees can nomimate each other for a $50 bonus, handed out at the end of each week, based on peer nomications.

4. Personal Notes: A handwritten thank-you note from a manager or a colleague can be a simple but effective way to recognize an employee's contributions. You can promote that by printing out postcard-sized thank you notes (or equivalent digital ones) that reduce the barrier of recognition and appreciation. Arnie Malham in his book “Worth Doing Wrong” describes how newcomers to his company often ended up with a wall of thank-you cards on their desk after six months.

5. Gift Cards or Bonuses: These can be for local restaurants, coffee shops, online retailers, or simply low-value toped-up debit cards for them to use wherever they like. The less your staff expect the reward, the more they are likely to appreciate it.

6. Celebration Events: Plan for events like a team lunch, a picnic, or a happy hour at the end of a successful project. There’s nothing more meaningful than celebrating wins together. You can make these easier by offering a small budget for each manager to spend on celebration events.

7. Spotlight on Social Media: Recognize your employees' achievements by posting about them on your company's social media channels. It’s a huge endorsement, coming from their employer.

Make it a habit to call out staff not just for outcomes achieved, but also the effort staff puts in supporting colleagues, helping clients, or simply getting work done. Highlight behaviors that align with the company’s values, so that the recognition doubles up as an opportunity to remind everyone what the company’s values are and showcase how these values are enacted day by day. These small, frequent gestures can have a big impact on how valued employees feel.

Rather than generic praise, encourage managers and peers to pinpoint exactly what each person did well and why it mattered. Tying appreciation to specific actions or results shows genuine interest and respect for the individual’s contribution.