Here’s the bad news:
According to a recent poll by Right Management, 83% of workers surveyed said they will “actively seek a new position” in 2014.
The good news is that there is something you can do to keep your best employees longer. As a leading recruiting agency, Peoplelink can tell you that employees who feel valued are going to be more loyal and more committed to your organization.
So how do you show your appreciation? Through an employee recognition program. To ensure yours is as strong as it can be, consider the following best practices:
1. Give timely, specific recognition.
Don’t just reward someone for working at your company for a long time. Give them an award for a specific reason – they cut costs, they delivered an extraordinary level of customer service to an important client, they facilitated the completion of a critical project not only on time, but under budget.
Not only will the employee being rewarded feel good, but your other employees will gain a sense of what they need to do to achieve recognition and be motivated to do so.
2. Be clear about what constitutes success.
Have criteria for your recognition program so employees have a clear understanding of what they need to do in order to achieve recognition. Also, be clear about who should be giving out the recognition – whether it’s from management or through a peer-to-peer program.
3. Tie recognition to your company’s mission.
For instance, if community philanthropy is an important part of your company mission and an employee spearheads and manages a clothing drive for needy kids, then that’s a great effort to recognize them for. If innovation is a vital part of what your company does, then recognize that quality among employees at your company.
4. Implement peer-to-peer recognition.
If you want your recognition program to be a success, then you need to implement opportunities for recognition among peers. While recognition from managers is important, recognition from peers is deemed as even more important.
After all, peers are working alongside each other each day and see the obstacles faced and the successes – big and small – achieved. Peer-to-peer recognition also ensures that the quiet performers – the ones that may not be as visible to the head honchos – receive their share of recognition.
5. Make it social.
There are plenty of recognition apps and computer programs that allow you to take your recognition program online. When you do, you can then allow anyone in the company to recognize someone else and the person receiving the accolades can accumulate points towards rewards (such as extra vacation days or free airfare).
6. Share stories.
Besides making recognition social and public via an app or online recognition program, also be sure to share the stories of success in your company newsletter, blog or on the “News” page. The bottom line is that the more appreciated your staff feels, the happier they will be and the harder they will work.
If you need additional help hiring and retaining top employees, call Peoplelink. As a leading recruiting agency, we’ve successfully placed more than 150,000 professionals in temporary and full-time positions over the past 20 years. And we can help you find your next great hire. Contact us today to learn more.
