What does it require to run a successful organization? One may answer “the right amount of investment”, “hard work”, “good leadership”, “smart strategy” etc. With innumerable answers to the above question, one which is often neglected is the relationship of the employee with the organization/company.
How the leader or management of the organization interacts with the team members constitutes an important factor in determining employee relations. Investing in employee relations plays a key role in the overall progress of the company, along with the unity of the organization as a whole.
One must realise the importance of each and every designation in the organization. An inclusive approach among the employees can in a long run prove to be a lot beneficial for the team.
Employees are the most essential part of an organization and keeping them motivated is a high priority goal for every organization. Without an iota of doubt, organizations must invest their time and finances to recognize and appreciate their hard work.
“Appreciation sometimes works better than appraisals”.
Every organization today faces a major problem of employee attrition, and this problem has a direct relation to employee motivation at work. What should an organization do to keep them motivated? Well! A very simple and cost-effective way to do so is giving them recognition, recognize their hard work, and develop a sense of belongingness among the employees.
How to manifest a sense of appreciation among the employees?
A simple “Employee of the month” award can do wonders for an organization in terms of Employee motivation and Employee performance.
Everyone loves to be recognized for their work and when that recognition comes with perks and benefits, it’s like a cherry on the cake. Awards like these boost performances and bring in a competitive approach among the employees, but a healthy competition has never harmed anyone.
Platforms such as “Employee of the month”, “Star Performer of the cycle”, “Best performing team during the quarter” are small initiatives taken by the organizations which have reaped them huge benefits. These platforms build up team spirits and keep the employees motivated for their role.
No one likes to do a job which is not important for anyone, to develop a sense of importance among the employees is the ultimate measure for employee motivation and satisfaction.
Communicating with the employees to praise them or recognize their efforts always acts as a binding force among the employees and the organization. Meetings and discussions on employee motivation and employee satisfaction should be a regular practice in every organization. When someone is praised about their work, it always motivates them to perform better and it builds a sense of responsibility among the employees to keep performing better.
Appreciation not only means getting the title of “employee of the month” but it can also be conveyed with gestures like dinner with department heads, for those who volunteer to stay after working hours to discuss innovative ideas.
For the people, who invest more time than others to achieve more than the entitled target, who participate in the organization activities besides achieving their regular task lists, maybe giving some perks like flexibility in logging time etc. One can always be creative in thinking about the ways to provide perks to loyal and hardworking employees.
Implementing criteria for employee recognition
Now as we have established the importance of employee recognition, it is also noteworthy of how to proceed with the concept and how to imply in one’s own organization. One may easily conclude that setting up challenging but achievable targets are the criteria for recognizing an employee as the outperformer of the month.
However, it must follow a more holistic approach. The leaders must be vigilant in mapping the overall progress of the employees, and setting up targets which are not only related to the quantity of work one manages to get done, but also the dedication of the employee towards the work. Comprehension of the fact that each individual has his own pace with his approach towards work, but it is the dedication of the employee which in the long run will make the difference.
Also, one must be careful in conducting the exercise as the whole concept of employee recognition can bring out negativity in the office if not managed strategically. The process of selection must be transparent, and the achievement of the employee must be stated specifically to create a healthy competition and not dissatisfaction among other employees.
The employees must not take the appreciation and the perks as an entitlement, as it can lead to negative thoughts if someone outperforms them.
Employee Recognition as a long term goal and its benefits
Well, merely giving away labels is not the intent of the exercise, but to gain the employee and make him confident of his associational values with the organization. In this whole process of enhancing the self-worth of the employee, it is also established that this worth is directly linked to his/her contribution in the company, hence driving in the motivation to work even harder for his/her team.
Rather than just working in a random workplace he starts taking up responsibilities for improvising things in the work environment, thereby enhancing his productivity. Of course, this exercise encourages employees to set goals for themselves, they take up the challenge happily for their value development rather than to impress a certain individual (a manager or maybe a boss).
As established above, making the employee recognition as a timely event, and giving liberty to managers and other designated people to celebrate small achievements in the organization brings out evident results if we look at the bigger picture. Increased productivity, loyalty and better team cooperation are evident results which have proved to the leaders that employee recognition is the key to a harmonious growth.
Statistically, and even intangibly the organization dwells on the team effort under the guidance and strategic planning of the cunning leader, who comprehends, acknowledges and motivates the employees and invests in them a sense of confidence to bring out a strong united team.