Your business already has the primary requirements needed to build a successful employee recognition program — your employees.
Although employees certainly appreciate being told by their managers and supervisors that they’re doing a great job and that they are appreciated, there’s something special about being recognized by peers. That type of attention keeps an employee motivated and engaged at his or her job.
Companies that have a successful peer-to-peer recognition program in place report seeing a real positive impact on employee engagement and retention, both crucial factors in the long-term success of a company. When companies have a mechanism built in for encouraging co-workers to put the spotlight on peers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, they tend to get more of an effort out of their workforces.
Studies have found that peer-to-peer recognition programs are successful because the appreciation carries more weight than the recognition that comes from management. When employees know that their peers appreciate them, it means more than if it came from someone at the top because their peers are more likely to understand just how hard they work. Peer-to-peer recognition programs also have a high reciprocation factor in play — when employees are recognized by their peers, they are more likely to pay it forward.
Implementing a peer-to-peer recognition program allows your business to harness a powerful resource for increasing employee engagement and retention. As long as the procedures for such a program are clearly defined, the rewards fully understood and everything properly communicated with employees, a peer-to-peer recognition program can transform a workplace from a place where people simply put in their eight hours a day into a place where they inspire each other to do their best each and every hour of the day. This link details what makes peer-to-peer recognition programs work, how they can be implemented, and tips for maintaining such programs. Read through it, and you may be able to tap into the most powerful resource you have for engaging and motivating your employees — the workforce you already have.
Guest blogger Carl Martens is a resident catalyst for change at Award Concepts. After graduating with a degree in sales and marketing from DeVry University, he became an advocate for his clients. He is dedicated to working closely with his clients to understand their organization and develop/deliver custom recognition programs.