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Employee Recognition Is A Human Need

Employee recognition is important and vital to create a positive work environment. Employee recognition increases productivity, increases employee engagement, and generates profitability for your company. People need to be appreciated. People need to be recognized. Considering that people spend at least one third of their day at work, employee recognition is essential in the workplace. In fact, employee recognition is a basic human need. Employee recognition awards and employee recognition gifts are an integral part of an employee recognition program. These programs work best in conjunction with authentic relationships and philosophies that are a part of any successful business. Good working relationships between managers/employers and their employees are strengthened with a concern and awareness for people's well-being and their needs. Great Place To Work is an American company that recognized 50 companies that valued their employees in exceptional ways. Not only did this company look at employee recognition, but they also focused on the caring relationships that existed between staff, as well as the encouragement of a work/life balance to ensure that employees were looked after and happy.

Here are a couple of testimonials from organizations (of the 50 companies recognized) for treating their employees in exceptional ways:  

1.QuickTrip This chain fills all store manager positions internally while offering extensive career counseling and tuition reimbursement. “Everyone here has helped develop me as an employee, and as a person outside of work,” a team member says. “I've now been given the opportunity to train and help develop all the new faces that walk through the door. QuikTrip is more than a team – we're family. QT was my first job. I've been here four years already, and it feels good knowing I could make a career here” (https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/10-heartwarming-employee-stories-from-2017-people-companies-that-care). 2. SAS The North Carolina campus of SAS (a software creator) boasts nearly every perk an employee might want, with an onsite pool, medical centre, hair salon, masseuse and even a world-class collection of fine art. As one team member recalls, though, the company’s support goes much deeper than creature comforts: “When my mother was diagnosed with an aggressive terminal cancer, SAS was my unexpected safe haven during the storm. I had access to resources I didn't know I needed: a sympathetic knowledgeable elder-care counselor, a ‘caring closet’ of medical equipment, a healthcare provider that hugged me every single time I cried. My manager went above and beyond to shift my work so that I could temporarily work out of my mother's home. My department sent notes, cards, flowers and unconditional love when she passed just one month ago. When I returned to work, I was welcomed with open arms and open hearts. It was more than comforting. It was overwhelmingly beautiful. Where else can you work and be reassured you did the right thing by ensuring your mother's last months were happy? That's more than a great place to work, that's an amazing place to happily give your talents, time and gratitude!”(https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/10-heartwarming-employee-stories-from-2017-people-companies-that-care). The importance of caring for your employees is so relevant. Regardless of our position in a company, we are all human beings. Treating employees like they matter, in conjunction with recognizing their needs, makes a significant difference in both their working and personal lives. Happy and engaged employees create positive energy within the workplace, and this positive energy translates to greater productivity and profit for the company. An employee recognition program may take time to plan for activities and create awards, but it is well worth it in the end. While you're working to develop an exceptional employee recognition program, remember to begin with a simple thank-you to show that you notice and value an employees contributions. An acknowledgement in a weekly newsletter or at a staff meeting is a great place to start.