How Employee Recognition Can Drive Business Results

Employee recognition is not just a buzzword in the workplace today. It has become a monumental component in the standard of work, and oftentimes, can be a make or break for a new hire. When a team of individuals is incentivized by recognition, it can drive business results beyond measure.

But where does an organization start when developing a strategy for employee recognition? The answer lies within: what works for one company may not work for another, and that is why a recognition program must center around the culture and goals of the company. That way, employees can relate to the program’s mission on a personal level and understand the full picture of what the program means to the business.

What is Employee Recognition

While employee recognition can come in many shapes and sizes, oftentimes, it is structured in a way that incentivizes and reinforces positive performance. Some examples of employee recognition structures include:

• Sales or Milestone Awards
• President’s Club Awards
• Recognition for Years of Service
• Bonus Structures that Focus on Goals

While many of these are commonplace in the workforce nowadays, there is still room to grow and adapt a recognition program that suits your organization’s specific needs. By creating a program that is centered around initiatives that make the most sense for your company, you can drive business results in a significant way.

1. Retain Top Talent

Finding ways to retain top talent will always be top of mind for a growing company. Turnover can debilitate a business and slow growth down. Not to mention, companies that do not put their employees first may get a reputation for poor cultural practices and find it hard to find employees that will take the business to where it needs to go.

One of the most prominent benefits of installing a recognition program within an organization is that employee satisfaction increases. By providing a culture that is employee focused, your team will feel more appreciated, and in turn, employee retention will rise.

2. Improve Performance

No matter what an organization does, employee performance can ebb and flow. With a team that is focused on the company’s mission and goals, performance has a better chance of increasing as the organization grows. In order to drive business results further, a recognition program can be put in place to bridge the gap between goals and financial success.

Whether a company uses recognition to celebrate small or big wins, in the end, it is the thought and intention of the program that counts and matters the most. Employee recognition programs allow individuals to have an honest shot at exceeding performance standards, boosting staff empowerment, and creating more avenues for financial gains.

3. Create Healthy Competition

If your business is driven by sales success, a recognition program that honors high financial achievements will drive healthy competition between individuals and teams. Either through sales awards or sales incentives, when financial goals are aligned with a recognition program, you cannot go wrong.

Whether it is a team-centric award program or an individual bonus, a sales recognition program can allow a little healthy competition that can go a long way. This type of recognition can drive business results in the most substantial way because it is directly correlated to your revenue streams.

4. Boost Company Culture

As the overall common theme with recognition programs, implementation of one can create a boost in company culture. Company culture has become an ever-increasing asset to employee retention and to attracting top talent.

This invariably drives business results in a big way. With a happy team, you create an engaged team that creates more positive output. With more positive output from your team, your customers will have a greater level of experience.

5. Customer Satisfaction is Heightened

A remarkable outcome of recognition programs is that customer satisfaction improves. To further drive business results, customer satisfaction is usually the goal, which makes this one of the benefits for the books. If a simple adjustment in employee satisfaction can lead to a better experience for the customer, companies who fail to recognize their employees are missing some significant gains.

With customer satisfaction on a positive track, you are likely to get more positive reviews and word-of-mouth promotions. In turn, your pool of clients will continue to grow in the direction you need it to, growing the business in a natural way.

6. Positive Reinforcement Generates Big Results

If there was ever a saying about positive reinforcement in the workplace, it might go something like this: If you reinforce positive behaviors, you will reap the rewards.

When it comes to recognizing employees in a positive light, it will more than likely drive business results. Whether that is through a shared comradery with a collective culture, a higher set of standards for work ethic, or even a reward system that motivates the team to push their work performance to new heights, positive reinforcement is a great benefit of recognition programs.

Drive Results in Fundamental Ways

A recognition program does not need to be expansive to drive business results. Small incentives can lead to a significant impact. Whether you implement a president’s club for the higher achievers, or you create a year of a service program that highlights the loyal employees that truly push the needle, you cannot go wrong. Focus your efforts on the program’s intention, and in turn, the employees supporting your organization will lead the way.