Understanding the importance of staff recognition

Understanding the importance of staff recognition
Melvie May 27, 2020

According to Australia’s Society for Human Resource Management, around 90 per cent of the 823 HR professionals surveyed stated that a rewards and recognition programme had made their workplace more engaged, with 86 percent claiming that it had made their workers happier.

Globally, it’s been proven that alongside wanting to achieve a certain title or salary, feeling a sense of purpose and meaningfulness at work contributes heavily to staff productivity, commitment, retention, and career progression. When people feel good about what they do, they want to do more — recognising and celebrating everyone’s achievements is a no-brainer if you’re looking to improve your business.

Every team contributes to the success of the company in different ways, so it’s important for each of us to celebrate and share in our achievements. It not only builds a sense of camaraderie, but also provides an insight into what each team does and how they do it, ensuring that everyone is cognisant of what each department brings to the table.

Rewarding hard work helps support team building and strengthens relationships, trust, and bonding between departments who might otherwise not often interact or work together a lot. For instance, when our development team at ICD Property has a major win they’ve been working on for months, the accounting team can equally share in the victory. 

It’s all about acknowledging that the cogs of each department play a vital role in the company’s mechanics, and encouraging transparency between staff to allow for a more cohesive and efficient engine to propel your organisation forwards.

People are willing to work harder and for longer, think creatively, take risks, and give their all when they experience a tangible feeling that their employer genuinely cares about them and gives back. It’s a two-way street. Reassuring staff means them, in turn, giving back to employers by creating an environment that supports and fulfils the high-level staff — they then feel a stronger buy-in to the company and their role in it. 

Recognition is one of the keys to unlocking employee satisfaction — if you know what you’re doing is appreciated, you feel part of the bigger picture.

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