Recognition Obstacles to Overcome for Employee Satisfaction

Eventually, dissatisfied team members become former employees. While workload, growth opportunities, and general work dynamics play a role, many people tend to quit after feeling like their work and contributions are dismissed or under-appreciated. 

Mistakes or mismanagement of employee recognition programs are expensive, costing you specialists, and, over time, can even create a less-than-inviting atmosphere for potential hires. So, even if you are implementing specific employee recognition programs, such as kudos, milestone celebrations, or company-wide shoutouts, let’s consider whether your approach is enough. 

Be wary of who you deem as the top performers

Please provide clear objectives and criteria for employees to take part in your recognition platform. For example, one notable mistake is prioritizing overtime above all else and rewarding team members who are reachable 24/7. Such appreciation often leans towards toxic work environments, where people feel coerced into working outside their regular hours to align with the company's cultural values.

Start with manager training 

All managers and upper-level employees should complete employee recognition training. Such courses present practical ways to keep your team motivated through positive reinforcement and regular appreciation. For example, scheduling yearly performance reviews (such as a 360-degree review) is not enough to keep employee morale high. The situation is even more dire if these reviews focus on vague aspects and provide no actual appreciation or constructive criticism. 

Thus, your managers should be experts at satisfying employees’ psychological and safety needs, providing a sense of belonging, and boosting their self-esteem. 

How tech can help to add value

Many initiatives for recognizing employees can seem irrelevant or “just talk,” since the person doesn’t see any tangible benefits. So what if your weekly/monthly newsletter includes a section for kudos when employees exchange appreciation with each other? Yes, it might be pleasant to receive these company-wide compliments, but over time, teams will not bother sending them. 

So, many tech solutions that are easily integrated into your current setup help companies add value to their employee recognition initiatives. For example, it is possible to introduce score-based systems, where people receive in-company currency to purchase gift cards, tickets, or various local services. 

Such reward-based approaches are popular across the board. Take apps and monetization SDK (Software Development Kit), where developers can integrate convenient methods for generating income even from those users who do not intend to convert. Honeygain SDK is one of such examples, and developers can use it to let their users pay for their services through sharing unused internet bandwidth. 

Appreciate even the unsuccessful efforts 

Not every project is successful, and failure can significantly demotivate employees. So, it’s crucial to recognize projects that took hours and days of effort. After all, even failure teaches specialists about similar risks in the future and promotes future learning among employees. The key here is to acknowledge every effort, regardless of its outcome, since various factors, both external and internal, can influence the latter. 

Nobody likes stale bread

Let’s say you have prepared a relatively strong employee recognition plan and continue to follow it for years to come. One popular yet somewhat outdated model is issuing quarterly reviews with direct managers and yearly performance reviews. 

If only one of them leads to a substantial value to employees (such as an early salary increase), the other performance reviews lose their meaning. Your HR specialists or other departments involved in these initiatives should consistently offer new insights and implement innovative approaches to prevent these reviews from becoming stale and repetitive.

Personalize employee recognition plans 

Many companies still perform employee recognition as a one-size-fits-all solution. For example, that could include the same questionnaire prepared for the anonymous peer-to-peer feedback. Let’s be honest: the questions revealing how an employee is performing will differ significantly for a developer, an office administrator, and a marketing specialist. So, each team manager should participate in the creation of questionnaires that best reflect their work. Furthermore, don’t forget to address personal milestones that an employee has. If you don’t do this, add these discussions to performance reviews, supporting learning and professional growth. 

Conclusion

Dedicated, professional, and aspiring employees require recognition and appreciation in their work environment. If they feel like their work is less meaningful or their efforts go unnoticed, it won’t take them long to start browsing the open positions at other companies. However, even if you initiate yearly performance reviews, don’t forget about the higher expectations team members now have. Integrating reward-based systems and using personalized milestones can make your company a much more desirable employer.