Every employee on your team is important. They all contribute to your mission, your workplace culture, and your bottom line. But all too often, top performers go unappreciated – and that drives turnover. Employees who get recognition are 63% more likely to stay at their current job (Apollo Technical).
Workplace celebrations don’t just lower turnover – they can also boost revenue. 80% of employees work harder when they feel appreciated (Zippia). So, the question becomes, what can HR do about it?
Forge Real Connections
Your frontline employees aren’t just worker bees – they’re complex, interesting, multifaceted people. You might not be their best friend, but you can still hold space for them to be their authentic selves. For example, a virtual team could have a quick daily check-in, just to see each other’s faces and see how everyone’s doing. A busy office could have a fully stocked breakroom, where employees can connect with each other between meetings. When you foster a sense of community, your team will feel heard, valued, and understood.
Ask for Employee Feedback
Get real input from employees and put it into action. For one thing, HR can invite people to share ways they’d like to be recognized. You can also use employee surveys to measure engagement and identify cultural gaps. Tools like Paycor Pulse surveys are a great way to get started.
Celebrate Every Win
Big wins deserve attention, but don’t forget to celebrate the small achievements too! Think baseball: you need three base hits before getting a grand slam. Recognize each accomplishment to keep motivation high. You can offer clear incentives, like special events and team-building opportunities, to boost motivation and engagement
Peer Recognition Tools
Manager appreciation is important, but peer recognition can be just as meaningful. Encourage everyone on your team to celebrate their colleagues. Employees can use a peer recognition tool (like what is found in Paycor HR) to give kudos to their colleagues.
Connect Employees’ Efforts to the Big Picture
Help your team see how their work drives business success. Start by clearly stating your company mission, so your team understands their shared goals. You can also publish your core values and explain how each project aligns with your vision. Remember, organizational alignment is essential for employee engagement.
Make Public Recognition Count
Publicly recognizing your employees is nice, but it’s not always impactful. Look for ways to celebrate your team that they would find meaningful. Introverts and extroverts usually appreciate different recognition tactics. This could mean highlighting their work in an “Employee Spotlight” series on social media or posting an article about one team member’s achievements. Make sure you get their input before any of this content goes live!
Offer Skill-Sharing Opportunities
Position your top performers as experts and ask them to share their skills. You could implement a lunch-and-learn series for other employees or have them create how-to videos to share with customers. This is a great way to recognize great work and upskill the rest of your team, all in one fell swoop.
Make Appreciation Easy
Middle managers are often overworked and forget the importance of recognizing their teams. Find ways they can reward good work without going through corporate red tape. For example, HR could give each manager a calendar of their team’s work anniversaries, birthdays, and other important dates. You could also set aside a budget for gifts to celebrate those occasions.
Celebrate Employment Anniversaries
Many companies struggle to retain employees after the first year. Part of building a culture of recognition is to find meaningful ways to celebrate employment milestones. This could be a casual celebration each year, and bigger rewards at five-year intervals.
The Personal Touch
In this digital age, don’t underestimate the power of the personal touch. A handwritten note, personalized gift, or thoughtful company swag can be more meaningful than ever. These small gestures show you care about your employees as people, and not just as workers.
How Paycor Helps
Paycor’s Talent Development software fosters a culture of feedback, employee recognition, and team spirit. Managers can use these tools to track key metrics, evaluate employee performance, and upskill their teams. Employees can go online and recognize each other, share feedback in a psychologically safe environment, and review their own progress.
Our suite of HCM software is purpose-built for leaders. With Paycor, you can operationalize every aspect of people management – including how you celebrate each win.