1. Create a Culture of Recognition to Drive Engagement, Improve Retention, and Increase Profitability
Establish informal recognition to drive high-returns.
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2. - William James, Psychologist
Introduction
Develop a culture of recognition to drive high employee engagement, intent to stay, and profitability – to name a few.
HR professionals looking to improve their current employee recognition efforts.
HR professionals looking to develop a culture of recognition.
Anyone interested in recognition research or informal recognition initiative design.
Understand the impact of recognition.
Increase your recognition program’s impact through an understanding of the keys to effective recognition.
Select and design day-to-day and informal recognition initiatives that will support a culture of recognition.
Operationalize your recognition initiatives with guidelines, manager training, and a communication plan.
The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.
- William James, Psychologist
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3. Use day-to-day and informal recognition to create a culture of recognition
Recognition is a significant employee engagement driver.
For every 10% increase in recognition:
The engagement score increases by 3.6%
The performance commitment score increases by 4.7%
The intent to stay score increases by 10%
Source: McLean & Company, N=11,043
According to a 2013 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Globoforce, 81% of organizations currently have a recognition program.
Employees want more recognition than they currently receive.
“52% of employed workers do not feel their efforts are recognized or valued” (WorldatWork).
65% of Americans surveyed had received no recognition in the preceding year (Gallup Organization, “How Full is Your Bucket?”).
85% of employees feel overworked and underappreciated (Dr. Bob Nelson, best-selling author).
The existence of a recognition program isn’t enough – it needs to be widely used to create business benefits. To realize benefits and maintain them, you need to create a culture of recognition.
To create a culture of recognition, you need to empower people to recognize one another on an ad-hoc basis in order to ingrain the notion of appreciation. Therefore, the best way to create a culture of recognition is by developing training & support and providing resources for informal recognition.
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4. Guided Implementation
McLean & Company offers various levels of support to best suit your needs
Guided Implementation
“Our team knows that we need to fix a process, but we need assistance to determine where to focus. Some check-ins along the way would help keep us on track.”
DIY Toolkit
“Our team has already made this critical project a priority, and we have the time and capability, but some guidance along the way would be helpful.”
Workshop
“We need to hit the ground running and get this project kicked off immediately. Our team has the ability to take this over once we get a framework and strategy in place.”
Consulting
“Our team does not have the time or the knowledge to take this project on. We need assistance through the entirety of this project.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks used throughout all four options
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5. Develop high-impact informal recognition using McLean & Company’s three-stage process
Guidelines and training are crucial to converting theory into practice, practice into habits, and habits into culture. In this section, we’ll show you how to lay a solid foundation for a culture of recognition.
Stage 1:
Discover the Keys to Effective Recognition
Stage 3:
Operationalize Recognition Initiatives
Stage 2:
Design Recognition Initiatives
There are several crucial underpinnings – or keys – to a culture of recognition. In this section, we’ll show you what they are and how you can ensure they take root in your organization.
Communication of recognition initiatives is crucial to participation and buy-in, which are both vital to driving habits. In this section, we’ll show you how to get employees on board and keep the momentum.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
- attributed to Aristotle, Philosopher
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6. Sample Slides
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7. Recognition is a significant employee engagement driver
There is a strong positive correlation between recognition and employee engagement
Supporting Research
“Employee engagement increases by 20% if managers recognize their employees weekly instead of monthly, and increases by another 35% if managers recognize employees daily (The Daily Telegraph, citing findings of David Brown).
A survey of HR professionals found that “Appreciation by a direct supervisor” was believed to have the most impact on employee engagement – significantly more than the next best item, “Opportunity to Advance” (SHRM/Globoforce Survey).
“Recognition is very powerful at driving engagement. By recognizing examples of behavior that align with the organization’s goals, we create role models and influence wider attitudes, which reinforce behavior. Recognition… helps create a positive perceived outcome, establishes a positive culture amongst peers, and reinforces self-efficacy and confidence.”
Source: “Gender in Recognition – Key Findings”
For every 10% increase in recognition, the engagement score increases by 3.6%.
Note: Computation details can be found in the Appendix.
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8. Recognition continuum:
This blueprint will cover the day-to-day and informal recognition that create a culture of recognition
Recognition is… the expression of appreciation for employees who demonstrate desirable behavior or achieve desirable outcomes.
Often, recognition is tied to behaviors that demonstrate the organization's values; are crucial to achieving organizational goals; and/or distinguish the organization from its competitors.
Recognition can be informal or formal; it can be as simple as a verbal “thank you” or it can be coupled with a monetary or non- monetary award and/or a public presentation.
Day-to-day
Informal
Formal
Just saying focused “thank you”
Local, low key, simple, maybe small gift
Corporate, high profile, major presentation
Source: Rose, Reward Management, 2014
Recognition continuum:
Informal recognition is the engine of a culture of recognition
Informal recognition is the best way to ingrain recognition into an organization's culture – especially when it involves both manager to employee and peer-to-peer recognition.
By encouraging and supporting frequent recognition, the organization promotes the creation of a habit of appreciation in its workers, thereby spurring a culture of recognition.
As a result of its role as the engine of recognition, this set will focus exclusively on informal recognition.
Note: Formal recognition can be an important part of an organization’s recognition program – but not all organizations need it. McLean & Company recommends you establish an informal program and measure its impact before deciding whether the ROI justifies investment in a formal program.
This blueprint will cover four scenarios:
Day-to-day initiatives – managers to individuals/teams.
Day-to-day initiatives – peer-to-peer.
Informal initiatives – managers to individuals/teams.
Informal initiatives – peer-to-peer.
The core difference between day-to-day and informal recognition is that the latter involves a gift, rather than just a thank you.
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9. McLean & Company Helps HR Professionals To:
Empower management to apply HR best practices
Develop effective talent acquisition & retention strategies
Build a high performance culture
Maintain a progressive set of HR policies & procedures
Demonstrate the business impact of HR
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