Recognition Programs and Events

A lot of strategic planning and budgeting happens at the end of the year, with certain elements deployed in January and February. Everyone enjoys buying their new year calendars when everything is fresh for a new start. However, many important plans, like those for employee engagement & recognition, need to be consistently reviewed. Here are some questions to ask yourself as a mid-year check-in to see if the right activities are happening and objectives are being met:

 

At gThankYou, we are obviously strong advocates of employee recognition – we’ve built our business upon this principle! In building and maintaining a culture of gratitude, it’s important to recognize employees for their hard work, initiative and commitment. Recognition can positively impact many facets of the business and should be part of a leader’s responsibilities.

In The Importance of Employee Recognition: Statistics and Research by Quantum Workplace, the article states, “When employees are rewarded for their contributions, they feel ownership and pride and are willing to work just as hard on their next project. Recognition connects them to the organization, elevates performance, and increases the likelihood they’ll stay.”
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On-the-spot recognition = instant results. When you recognize employees right away, the benefits start right away. It’s simple and pays off. Try it today!

According to Indeed.com, “When people are offered consistent, actionable feedback, they can gain better insight into their successes and opportunities for improvement. Positive feedback is especially important because it increases morale, encourages good work and helps provide a sense of purpose.”

A once-a-year party is great for tradition, but it doesn’t ultimately affect day-to-day performance. Shift your paradigm from celebrating at the end of the year or on an anniversary to how can we keep appreciation and a culture of celebration alive all year-round?

It’s time to make recognition an ongoing, everyday activity. Read on to find out why on-the-spot recognition is so effective — and easier than you think!
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We are here to remind you: Recognize employees for small wins regularly. Doing so results in a confident, productive workplace.

Praise for specific acts of excellence builds employee self-confidence and increases engagement.

Employee recognition is one of the most important responsibilities of leaders. It’s smart business, directly affecting productivity, retention and overall culture.

According to Quantum Workplace,

“Organizations with formal recognition programs have 31% (more…)

If you’re reading this blog post, it’s probably because you care about employee appreciation and you may be wondering how digital feedback platforms can help (and which ones could be a good fit for your company).

Why Employee Appreciation Matters

In a Workplace article on Gallup’s website examining the impact of employee recognition, writers Annamarie Mann and Nate Dvorak point out: (more…)

As a leader you’re probably getting pulled in a million different directions and your time is in short supply.  But the time you spend really being present in a sincere, mindful and purposeful way when interacting with your employees and recognizing them for their efforts and contributions is time well-spent.
With a bit of effort you can break some bad habits and start embracing some new practices and ways of thinking that can help boost morale (and ultimately your bottom line). Read on for straightforward ways to maximize employee recognition time.
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What is the Difference?

In an article for Ladders, Paul White described the reasons why employers should stop recognizing employees and start appreciating them. White shared that too often he has encountered employee recognition programs that not only don’t seem to be working, but are in fact generating apathetic, sarcastic and cynical reactions from employees.  White believes this is because recognition is different from authentic appreciation.
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Almost every industry is facing staffing challenges, but perhaps the hospitality industry is the hardest hit. Knowing how to recognize and retain hospitality industry employees is critical to business survival.
It’s not unheard for restaurant employees to take a job at a competitor across the street for just .25 cents more an hour!
Both front of the house and back of the house staff would be less tempted to leave for such a small raise if they felt engaged, valued and appreciated.
In a blog post on Toast.com about turnover rates in the restaurant industry, these startling retention stats were shared: (more…)

Training managers in employee appreciation ensures the success of your workplace recognition efforts and protects your business. It also solves a common organizational problem: employees who don’t understand manager directives.
“Simply put, almost two-thirds of all employees are 33 percent as productive as they can be because they don’t understand what they are now asked to do,” according to a survey of 50,000 employees.
Understanding and appreciation are codependent.
“Training and educating employees in company values and objectives in a way that makes sense to them — through their daily work — is a mission-critical goal for organizations today,” Derek Irvine writes for Training Industry. (more…)

Your organization doesn’t have to be a school to celebrate teacher appreciation in the workplace this week!
This is the week to thank all teachers, from classroom teachers to your employee development leaders — anyone who spreads the joy of learning and sharing knowledge in your organization and community.
Teacher Appreciation Week is underway and continues through Friday, and National Teacher Day is Tuesday, May 9. (more…)

Employee Appreciation Day is always the first Friday of March. It’s the perfect time to pause, reflect and show gratitude to your staff.
Now, what about the other 364 days of the year?
Not every day’s a party, but a day shouldn’t go by when your team doesn’t feel appreciated in some way.
A strong, effective program for employee appreciation includes an Employee Appreciation Day celebration and lasts all year. (more…)

Employee Appreciation Day is this Friday, March 3. To get ready, we combed the news for case studies in effective, original employee appreciation to inspire your efforts.
What makes a good employee appreciation program?
Hppy’s infographic Top 10 Best Workplace Incentives has three criteria for worthwhile employee appreciation.
First, it reduces turnover. Watching coworkers quit in frustration is demoralizing. It feeds gossip and unhappiness among staff and slows down productivity. (more…)

Grab your coffee, Gallup is serving business leaders a wake-up call.
Employee recognition needs to be a top priority, according to Gallup’s massive State of the American Workplace.
Experts at Gallup are calling the report a “call to action” for companies, starting with a complete overhaul of employee recognition and engagement strategy.
The old ways of managing employees just aren’t working, and change isn’t optional. (more…)

Did you #ThankATeacher yet this week?
Today, Tuesday, May 3 is National Teacher Day!
It’s also National Teacher Appreciation Week, so you still have time to share your gratitude through Friday, May 6.
The National Education Association (NEA) and National PTA are partnering this week for several teacher-appreciation initiatives, including a social media campaign with the hashtag #ThankATeacher. (more…)

Why start an employee thank you program? According to MIT’s human resources article, “Best Practices for Designing and Maintaining a Program,” it’s:

“ … to recognize and reward work and behaviors that support/further the mission, goals, values and initiatives of the [organization].”

And, as research shows, workplace morale, (more…)

Peer-to-peer recognition empowers employees to share appreciation and builds your company culture of gratitude!
An increasing numbers of modern workers are motivated, at least in part, by peer recognition, according to YouEarnedIt and to research presented by Richard Florida in his book “The Rise of the Creative Class.”
Earning the respect of peers is a major driver of motivation among workers today, Florida found.
Recognition from management is critical, of course. But peer-to-peer recognition harnesses the intimate knowledge coworkers have with our work day-to-day. (more…)

When it comes to employee recognition, appreciating and acknowledging the youngest generation in your workplace could take some adjustment. Known as Gen Y, or Millennials, this is the cohort between the ages of about 18 and 32.
Millennials have a bad rep as entitled narcissists obsessed with their smartphones. A tongue-in-cheek video that recently went viral makes light of these stereotypes. Produced by the comedy outfit Can Opener Studios, it depicts Millennials apologizing for being “the worst” generation — while drawing attention to the real challenges young people face today. (more…)