In order to have an all-round successful business, employees need to feel that they’re valued and treated fairly, which is why many companies are implementing recognition programmes and policies to help employees feel valued. If you’re looking to craft an effective employee recognition policy, keep reading for 6 tips.
- Have a realistic goal before you start creating the policy
It’s too easy to go in all guns blazing and get to work without a predetermined goal. Whilst this might seem useful, it’s counterintuitive and won’t help your employees. Whether your goal is to increase employee satisfaction or to reduce the number of sick days your employees take, make sure you have a viable and SMART goal in mind before starting to create your policy.
- Do your research
There are a huge range of recognition and employee rewards available out there, so taking your current situation into account, research which type of reward is most likely to meet your and your employees needs. For example, optional remote work might be an option if you have an increasing number of employees who you feel would benefit from it. If you have a high number of parents, allowing them to leave on time to collect their children from school or nursery is another option that is likely to be popular among employees.
- Recognise everyday efforts
Whilst formal recognition policies like quarterly reviews and employees of the month are great for building staff morale in the short term, employees increasingly need to feel valued and recognised for the work they’re doing day in and day out. Rather than waiting until you have to praise your employees, make an effort to recognise and thank them more frequently.
- Keep employees involved and engaged
One way to ensure an employee recognition policy is successful is to involve the employees in the process. Ask them what they feel would help them with their job satisfaction and what methods of recognition are most likely to make them feel good. Being an employee is a lot different to being a manager, so be sure to keep employees involved in the process so it’s beneficial to them.
- Switch up recognition types
The most effective way to successfully implement a recognition policy is to include different types of recognition. Not only does this prevent the policy from feeling overly formal, but it also caters to a wider variety of individuals, ensuring that each and every employee feels that their hard work is noticed and rewarded in an appropriate way.
- Be fair
To keep employees motivated, the programme must not be changed part way through. Anyone who meets the criteria for the reward or recognition should receive the award, whether that’s one or twenty employees. It’s also important that everyone has an equal chance of meeting this criteria so make sure that employees who have health or mobility issues, for example, have the same chance of succeeding as those who are neurodivergent. Remember that if employees don’t feel you’re being fair with your recognition policy, they won’t actively participate or engage in it.
And there you have it – it’s as simple as that! – 6 tips for crafting a successful employee recognition policy.
