commonly studied in employee engagement surveys, rewards and
recognition was the fourth most correlated with it in the database
(behind trust in the organization, satisfaction with senior
leadership and continuous quality improvement). In fact, all of
these variables correlate with each other, so one could argue
that a more tangible focus on recognition would be an effective
way to increase trust as well as satisfaction with senior leadership.
For those who work in continuous improvement cultures,
you know employees’ ideas and solutions form the basis of the
improvements every day; these gains must be acted upon and celebrated
to encourage a culture that values solution finding.
RETAINING TOP TALENT
If this doesn’t seem like sufficient evidence for the business case
(let alone the human case) for recognition, think about what type
of company you would want to work for. Employees are 25 per
cent more likely to remain in the organization when they are recognized;
it would stand to reason that employees stay in their
department and working for their direct supervisor when they
feel what they have to offer is valued and needed. There are many
factors that contribute to someone deciding to leave the organization,
and not everyone has the luxury of doing so, but if a team
or organization has a significant turnover issue, or is beginning to
trend upwards, it is worth considering how recognition in their
work areas and as an organization-at-large could play a role in
rectifying issues.
How is this not part of the broader discourse of business,
like work-life balance? Recognition is part of any
total rewards strategy; when companies, industries or provinces
are in tough times, it might become the way to meaningfully
reward employees.
WORKPLACES STAYING AT THE TOP
A common thread in the story of top-rated companies in Canada
is not that they’re the largest or most famous companies, but that
they have a strong focus on recognizing and leveraging the best in
their people. Organizations don’t need to be huge to make major
inroads in cultivating healthy organizational culture. The gains
are not just notoriety, but getting the best from talent, which also
translates into healthy bottom lines.
Some major differences in organizational characteristics associated
highest satisfaction with recognition. Employees who were the most
satisfied with how well they were recognized report that they are:
■■ Engaged in their job overall
■■ Engaged with the broader organization
■■ Involved with and participate in decision-making
■■ Satisfied with senior leaders
■■ Trustful of the organization
■■ Continually seeking to improve how work was done (as was
their whole team)
■■ Innovative (as was their whole team)
■■ Satisfied with communication
■■ Regularly receiving performance feedback and
performance was managed well
■■ Satisfied with opportunities for advancement
■■ Likely to stay with the organization
CREATING RETENTION CULTURES
THROUGH RECOGNITION
According to the data, the top three ways employees say
they want to be recognized are through a verbal thank-you
(89 per cent), private praise (84 per cent) or a written
thank-you (82 per cent).
Gifts, bonuses and other incentive programs only go so
far. If they are part of your compensation structure, then
that embeds them in the culture; however, what happens
when you have a bad year or work in an industry that doesn’t
allow such structures? If your recognition program is resting
on only a small segment of your total rewards framework,
your house of cards may fall at a time when you need your talent
to help you through difficult financial times – when value
is monetized by something that is outside of your control,
you’re on shaky ground. Adding to that, it’s not what gets everyone
out of bed in the morning, let alone motivates them to
bring their full discretionary effort.
What can every organization build into its culture, and every
member contribute to – whether staff, middle management or senior
leader? The basic recognition fundamentals: verbal or written
thank-yous, and personal, private words of praise. It goes back to
treating people as the valued asset that they are – in good times
and bad.
talent management
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52 ❚ MAY/JUNE 2016 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL