How to Create a Culture of Recognition?

Recognition matters.

You probably hear that all the time, and it’s true! Don’t believe us? Just check out the stats:

●     63% of employees who feel recognized are very unlikely to look for a new job (Survey Monkey).

●     40% of workers would work harder if they got more recognition at work (OGO).

●     Lack of recognition is the number one reason people switch jobs (Achievers).

●   A study by the Harvard Business Review found that 82% of senior leaders feel they don't receive enough recognition‍

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But while giving recognition at work is key to maintaining a good company culture and retaining your top talent, it’s easier said than done. If you’re not confident in your skills recognizing hard-work or offering affirmations, here’s where to start.

How To Give Affirmations and Recognition At Work

Study Up

Like most things, if you want to be good at offering recognition, you need to put in some work. That means studying up on how, why, and when to give recognition. There’s lots of easy ways to learn more about this, including:

●     Our blog: Check out the Evergreen blog for free, easy to read articles about the importance of employee recognition and how to do it on a day-to-day basis.

●     Youtube: These days, you can find pretty much everything on YouTube, including helpful and informative videos about recognition. Just type “employee recognition” in the search bar and scroll through the results for a video that stands out to you.

●     The bookstore: If you’re sick of staring at screens, go old-school with a hard copy. You can check out the business section at Amazon or Barnes and Nobles or support your local bookshop.

Make It A Habit

If you want to actually become better at giving recognition at work, you have to make it a habit. Start by practicing regularly and setting goals for yourself. At first, you might want to set daily or weekly goals to meet. Make sure to write them down somewhere so you stay accountable. It can take as little as two weeks or as long as 6 months to makea habit, so don’t give up. Over time, offering recognition will become easier and more natural.

Timing Is Key

Sometimes, the hardest thing about giving recognition is knowing when the time is right. If you’re not sure when to offer up affirmations and motivation, brainstorm a list of times that recognition might be especially appreciated. Here are some ideas:

●     When workloads are high

●     When a big deadline is approaching

●     When someone smashed something out of the park

●     When someone meets their personal development goals

●     When an employee suggestion helped the office or team as a whole

●     When there’s a special event like a birthday, work anniversary, or life milestone

●     When someone gets a promotion

●     When a team project went off without a hitch

●     When someone does something small, but meaningful

Remember These Tips

Learning how to offer recognition can be hard, especially when things are virtual. But making it a weekly habit or including itin your To-Do lists makes the learning curve a lot easier. When giving recognition, try to make it:

●     Specific: Make sure your recognition goes beyond just “good job.” Personalize it to make it more authentic.

●     Sincere: Only offer recognition if you mean it! Insincere praise won’t help you here.

●     Individual: Even on team projects, people want to be recognized as individuals for their hard work. Try not to lump people into groups when offering recognition.

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Making Recognition Easy

Here at Evergreen, we’re passionate about making giving recognition at work easy, fast, and sustainable. Everytime you send a team member an Evergreen recognition over Slack, you’ll practice your new skill, boost employee morale, and plant a tree to help offset carbon emissions. Let’s book a demo to get started!