Employee recognition plays a vital role in the success of a company. Companies that recognize their employees for their work can see positive results in boosting employee morale and engagement. This recognition can see better results when it comes from the company leaders.
People look up to leaders for reassurance, guidance, and recognition. It’s the job of the leader to show employees what to do next. However, praising employees for their hard work is also a crucial job for them. Let’s explore the importance of leadership recognition in detail.
Importance of Leadership Recognition
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All employees crave recognition from their leader. They give their time and effort for the betterment of a company. When they are recognized for their actions, they tend to be more dedicated to doing their job.
Around 50% of employees expressed that gratitude from the leaders helps build trust and improve relationships with management. Engaged employees are an asset for any organization. However, a study has concluded that only 21% of employees are very engaged at their job. Yet, most employees are not looking to leave their current job.
Leaders gain several benefits by recognizing their employees’ works. It can make the employees satisfied with their job and enhance loyalty. As a result, employee turnover is reduced. It saves the organization a lot of time and money.
A growing company with engaged employees will see better and faster growth. Here, most qualified employees are loyal to the organization and provide their best work. Also, young talents are more eager to work somewhere where they are valued.
There is a popular saying, “what gets recognized gets repeated.” Whenever the leader acknowledges employees’ good work, they will repeat the result and work better in future tasks. Thus the company gets higher benefits just by recognizing simple outstanding acts.
How Should Leaders Recognize Employees?
In the past, there were few opportunities to recognize employees. The management used to think employee of the month or year award is a better way to recognize employees. However, times have changed, so is the management and the employee behavior.
While monetary recognition is good, non-monetary recognition can be better if done right. It may not even cost any money but make an employee more engaged. Here are a few great ways that leaders can use to recognize employees effectively.
- The recognition should be in real-time and frequent. This makes the recognition more efficient.
- Start a recognition culture in the workplace. Once the leader starts congratulating the employees’ good work, everyone tends to follow the behavior.
- The recognition can be monetary or non-monetary. The leader can call a bonus for closing a great deal or treat the employee for handling a customer better.
- A company recognition platform can come in very handy. It will allow the leader to post employee achievements there for company-wide recognition.
- Celebrating anniversaries, accomplishments, birthdays can boost employee morale. It assures the employees that the company genuinely cares about them.
- Recognition platforms can come in very handy while recognizing employees. It can alert leaders of employee accomplishments in real-time. However, the leaders need to make time to celebrate the achievements properly.
Every recognition can positively impact employee morale and engagement, no matter how big or small it is. Thus celebrating the smallest achievements can make a big difference in the workplace.
Actions of an Effective Leader
An effective leader should have the following qualities:
- Paying attention to the employees: paying attention to the employees’ well-being can help leaders build strong relationships with their employees. Taking time to greet employees and ask how their day was is a very powerful relationship-building tool.
- Listening to the Employees: Great leaders should pay attention to what their employees are saying. It will allow the leader to gather ideas and opinions on how to make the workplace better.
- Keep commitments: Leaders need to keep their commitments to employees. This will project commitment, and the employees will be led by example.
- Credit for Contribution: Leaders need to credit employees where credit is due. It will allow employees to find creative solutions whenever needed.
- Recognition in writing: Hand-written notes for recognition are effective and give a personal touch to the whole process. It enhances the recognition impact and assures employees that their leader cares for them.
A leader with these qualities can keep employees motivated and happy while getting the best results for the organization.
Bottom Line
Employee recognition is an essential part of a workplace. It builds a strong bond between employees and employers. Most strong recognition always comes from the leader of the organization.
Leaders create examples that employees follow. So, when the recognition comes directly from leaders, employees tend to follow it and give back the best work. Only then, an organization can thrive and prosper.
