Creating a Happy Workplace: Best Ways to Recognise Your Employees

Amid the pandemic and the Great Resignation, the metrics for employee satisfaction have shifted. From work perks to benefits, employees and jobseekers now put a premium on healthy work environments, company culture, and how their careers affect their overall well-being. 

With employee happiness directly affecting company success, you must create an effective employee wellness program that fosters employee recognition. Find out why giving employees well-deserved credit can improve worker satisfaction, boosting morale and productivity in the process.

Employee recognition is one of the primary factors in effective management and employee satisfaction and retention. It makes your workers feel that their contributions are seen, heard, and appreciated. 

After all, you've searched high and low for great talent. The effort you exerted in your hunt for ideal employees should translate to how well you care for them after hiring. 

We all want to feel valued because it gives us a sense of belonging and purpose that who we are and what we do matters to the people around us. 

Giving proper credit and commendation in the workplace can do wonders for your employees and your company. Let’s go through some of the main benefits:

1. 1.

   Improved and smoother workflow Think of it this way: your people are part of your business' engine. If they do not feel empowered, your journey ends up slow and bumpy. Successful management, which includes proper credit, helps accelerate performance.

2. 2.

   Increased productivity

   There is growing evidence that happy people are 13 per cent more productive at work. Company managers should endeavour to secure and satisfy employees with a motivating leadership style that allows them to enjoy work. You can spur this further by allowing your employees to do the following:

   • Voice out opinions. Remember the adage that a good leader is a good follower? Listen to your employees. Create an environment conducive to open dialogue and opinion. Your team members won't just be revealing their woes, but they would feel more encouraged to share their ideas.

   • Give suggestions and bounce off ideas. The workplace should be a place that fosters creativity, open-mindedness, and even scepticism. Encourage your team to think, criticise, and comment (constructively). Tell them repeatedly that there is no such thing as a stupid idea. While not every suggestion may be feasible, this practice will help develop them into critical thinkers.

   • Learn from mistakes. Are your employees afraid of you? They'll be too scared to move if they believe you'll reprimand them for every mistake. Inspire your team to do their best but also give them wiggle room to fail. Trial and error is the starting point of many success stories, including Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. When your employees feel secure to take calculated and well-thought-of risks, they become more confident.

   • Get compensated for hard work and accomplishments. Being commended or rewarded for achievement helps reinforce the behaviour that drives your employees to excellence.

3. 3.

   Better retention A study shows that 79% of employees leave their jobs due to a lack of appreciation. Appreciation is no small thing. Your employees are human beings. More than employee incentives and benefits, they perform better when you meet their needs for overall well-being. It validates their contribution to the company. Feeling supported gives them a reason to stay in your organisation. Moreover, it will also encourage them to improve – both for themselves and the company. Also read: How to Best Recruit GenZ’s Into Your Company And Keep Them, Too

Here are some steps you can take to create a culture of recognition in your company:

1. 1.

   Personally recognise individual efforts and accomplishments. Your people deserve your time, especially when they’ve significantly contributed to the success of your organisation. It could be a massive project, closing a deal, or something as simple as being able to fix and implement office policies that others have long overlooked. Recognition would always mean a hundred times more for employees when you make them feel they are worth your time—they should be after all. Letting them know with a simple “Thank you, I know what you did and I appreciate it” will make them feel like a valued team member. 

2. 2.

   Let them know you are proud of them. Be loud and proud, they say. Maximise all channels where you can recognise and show appreciation to employees who go above and beyond and/or those who continuously work hard to help achieve company goals. When you know they deserve it, flaunt it! Let them know you are proud of them and grateful to have them on your side. You can ask HR to add a note in the company email blast, insert a line in the in-house newsletter, post a social media shoutout, or mention it during an important meeting or company gathering.

3. 3.

   Be timely. You don’t need to wait for the next big accomplishment to recognise an individual or a team who’ve already achieved their goal. Make sure to give timely praise so your employees will truly feel your sincerity.

4. 4.

   Reward them.

   Who doesn’t love getting a little something for a job well done? Rewards help you build a positive work environment that supports growth and achievements. Here are a few tokens you can give extra hardworking employees:

   • A favourite drink

   • Lunch treat

   • Company-branded gifts or items

   • Gift certificates or monetary rewards

   • A day off

   Note, however, that it wouldn’t hurt to personalise, give options, or be creative when rewarding your employees. You wouldn’t want to overload them with company-branded items or decrease their interest in the same old lunch treat. Surprise your team once in a while. Also read: How to Ensure Your Company Avoids Workplace Discrimination

5. 5.

   Provide more opportunities and room for growth. A way to recognise your employees and their potential is by offering them growth opportunities. Take the time to have one-on-one talks. Revisit your employee’s career goals and passions. You can support your workers towards career advancement and satisfaction through upskilling and/or reskilling.

6. 6.

   Celebrate your employees! Celebrate their achievements and special days, such as birthdays and work anniversaries. You can also create an Employee Day to thank your workers for their hard work and loyalty.

7. 7.

   Inspire and encourage peer-to-peer recognition. Author Paulo Coelho once said, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” Walk the talk every chance you get and practise gratitude and appreciation towards your employees. Train your leaders to cultivate a work culture of employee recognition via leading by example. The goal is to foster a healthy working environment of happy, empowered, and productive leaders that will create a ripple effect on all other employees. While employee management is not a walk in the park, practising kindness in the workplace can aid in creating a happy and healthy work environment. Ultimately, it is still pretty simple: treat your employees as human beings. The sooner you realise that your people matter, the sooner you’ll have a team of passionately driven employees with increased productivity and a strong sense of purpose and drive in what they do. As people continue to #SEEKBetter job opportunities and healthy working environments, let your business create a new tradition and culture of fostering employee recognition and happiness – a workplace designed so every company member could thrive. For more tips like this, visit our Employers Insights page to learn more. Register now on JobStreet to find the most suitable jobseekers for your company.