Employees Want Authentic, Not Automated, Recognition

We know recognition makes employees happier, and happiness often translates into engagement and productivity.

Three-fourths of participants in the newest Globoforce MoodTracker Survey said recognition increased their happiness at work, but the findings also show automated, half-hearted attempts at recognition neither inspire or motivate them.

Several common practices Globoforce investigated share a common, though outdated, starting point – an all-powerful, rigidly hierarchical organization that underestimates employees. For generations, employees, once taken into the fold, have been seen much like children or puppies, easily manipulated and grateful for anything resembling recognition.

Employees today want recognition that feels honest, personalized and professional. The Spring 2014 MoodTracker report suggests programs woven into the fabric of many companies fall far short.

Two recognition practices - one old, one new - underwhelm most employees. Four out of five companies celebrate milestone anniversaries but the top emotion recipients associate with such an event? Indifference. Among those surveyed, 51% said the experience changed nothing.

Globoforce surveyed 706 U.S. adults employed at companies with 500 or more workers, and more than two-thirds said a service award that included career details would be more meaningful. Organizations are missing a huge opportunity to reconnect with employees at a time and in a way that resonates and moves the relationship forward.

Automated “eThankyou Awards” fall flat, too. Three of four employees say eThanks, an electronic “card” or email with no financial value, is either unfulfilling, disappointing, or a let-down. Not surprisingly, workers prefer a thank you with a gift or monetary reward.

A scant 4% of workers found eThanks alone memorable. Significantly, nearly 10 times as many said a verbal, in-person “Thank You,” was the most memorable form of recognition.

This study also looked at one subset of gamification in HR known as “pointsification,” which involves earning points for leader boards, badges and other incentives. In many cases, recognizing the work of peers earns points, creating a flurry of end-of-month “Good Job!” notes as employees scramble to spend their pre-allocated points by the deadline.

Organizations are to be commended for trying new recognition programs. Yet a clear theme emerges from the Globoforce results -- employees know real recognition when they receive it and don’t appreciate shortcuts.

HR, front-line managers and C-Suite execs must find heartfelt ways to recognize staff members, acknowledging not everyone wants recognition in the same way. Some workers revel in cake and balloons; others prefer something quieter.

Yes, a personalized approach is more work. The good stuff usually is.

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Sameer Bhargava has led and turned around IT organizations in multi-billion dollar companies and created world-class R&D teams at startups. He is CEO of Callibrain, a cloud-based software platform that drives higher performance by strengthening employee engagement, alignment and collaboration across all levels of an organization.