Job well done: Employee recognition a key tool for fending off costly turnover

Instead of investing in a new bonus or incentive program, maybe the solution for the Great Resignation is meaningful employee recognition.

A survey of nearly 6,000 workers and HR leaders by Achievers Workforce Institute concluded that employee recognition is an even bigger driver of employee engagement, productivity and job commitment than good compensation.

Almost two-thirds (57%) of employees said if their current employer made them feel like the work they were doing was valuable, and important to the organization, it would make them less likely to take a call from a recruiter. Conversely, 60% of employees that feel they’re “never recognized” plan to do some job hunting this year.

Employees that feel seen, heard and recognized by their employer have higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association.

The next time you huddle up with HR, consider a quality and quantity review of how your people are celebrated for their achievements and contributions. In a highly-competitive labor market, your employee retention and recruitment may depend on it.

Employee recognition training

Your supervisors play a key role in getting the best performance out of your employees, but making their team members feel welcomed, known, included, supported and connected is a skill that doesn’t come easy for everyone in a manager role.

For instance, how many of your managers would say they’re good at sincerely recognizing their employees for doing great work within the real-time, natural flow of the workday?

Consider looking into support training for your supervisors on employee recognition best practices. To foster a culture of recognition, this training will probably not be a once-and-done action and regular recognition training may be necessary.

According to Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, chief workforce scientist for the Achievers Workforce Institute, three approaches to meaningful, in-the-moment employee recognition involve focusing on:

1. something specific the employee did
2. a way that the individual made a difference, or
3. something about the individual’s values.

For some ideas on how to best use employee recognition to drive the outcomes you’re after, refer your HR manager to this Employee Recognition and Rewards Playbook from HRMorning.com.