Recognize This! –Without a truly strategic recognition program, you’re likely not doing all you can to retain employees, help them achieve and sustain maximum productivity, and engage them in your culture.

This seems to be research reporting week for me. Following on the heels of SHRM/Globoforce research on the bottom-line ROI of employee recognition, is this research from Office Team: “Recognize Results: Drive Success through Employee Recognition.”

Surveying office administrative personnel, the survey revealed:

• 66% would leave their current position if not shown appreciation by their manager
• 67% say receiving recognition greatly or somewhat improves their performance

That last point mirrors a client of ours whose internal employee surveys show 93% of employees saying receiving formal recognition helps motivate them to sustain high performance.

I’m not surprised by (but pleased to see) survey respondents strongly saying the praise itself is the most meaningful element – being noticed for their work with specific, meaningful and personal messages of thanks and appreciation. As the report noted:

“Many of the rewards administrative professionals rated highest did not involve money. Cash, for example, was far down the list. Most forms of recognition ranked highly by administrative professionals are cost-effective. Top responses included an in-person thank-you or communicating an administrator’s achievements to upper management. One professional’s comment may best sum up the power of praise: ‘Simple recognition on a frequent basis keeps me going far more than anything else.’”

But whatever you do, if you’re going to make the effort to recognize employees, be sure you do it right.  A member of my consulting team keeps a “tombstone” award on her desk from a prior company. Though she received the “President’s Award,” her name is spelled wrong in the engraving. Any personal meaning or value in the award was instantly lost.

This video from Office Team drives the point home:

Are you truly investing all you can in retaining employees, helping them achieve peak productivity and sustain it over time, and engaging them in the culture of your organization? Without a strategic employee recognition program in place, you’re likely not.