Paul Brown, incentives specialist at Maritz, explains how recognition plays an important part in retention and engagement levels.

An independent workplace survey by Maritz has revealed that almost a third of UK workers say they are never thanked for their personal contribution at work; a significant 50 per cent increase from two years ago. At the other end of the scale, however, one in five say they are thanked more than once a week.

The survey results show that being thanked has a positive or very positive effect on morale for nine out of 10 of those surveyed. Two in five said being thanked had a very positive effect on their productivity and a similar number on their willingness to remain with the company.

These results are a clear indicator that a culture of recognition can help retain valued staff and, consequently, cut recruitment bills.

Incorporating recognition as a component of motivation programmes is becoming a key focus for many organisations, as they increasingly understand the direct link between recognition, employee engagement and staff retention.

If practised and delivered correctly, recognition is an effective way for managers to:

• Build trust
  
• Communicate with employees
  
• Encourage the demonstration of values and behaviours
  
• Align them with key business objectives

Recognition is a key driver of employee engagement and engaged employees are more likely to act as organisational advocates (both inside and outside the organisation), work more effectively and produce better bottom line results.

For instance, a leading automotive company’s online recognition programme demonstrated that in dealerships where employees regularly interact with the programme – which delivers brand communications, online learning and incentive activity – enjoy significantly reduced staff attrition levels and benefit from individual sales performance of more than 20 per cent higher than those dealers whose employees interact on a much less frequent basis.

Recognition is well suited to achieve ‘softer’ objectives around engendering cultural change (perhaps linked to a company re-structure) and to embed behaviours which demonstrate organisational values. It is also appropriate for a wide audience, from the receptionist to the FD.

With any values-based programme, it is crucial to ensure everyone can relate the company values to their own behaviour – they must be able to visualise, and therefore, carry out specific behaviours that might come under the heading ‘teamwork’ or ‘creativity’. By rewarding this behaviour, it is more likely to be repeated, leading to increased productivity and morale.

It is worth noting that when trying to implement significant changes in behaviour, it may also be necessary to invest in a learning programme to generate maximum ROI.

Whether you are considering a company-wide recognition programme or just want to say a big thank you to your hard-working team, here are our top five thank you tips for managers:

• Do it yourself – thank the person or team individually, face-to-face for a specific reason.
  
• Celebrate success – share exceptional performance with peers. Ensuring colleagues are aware of others being recognised increases the value.
  
• Be objective and consistent – make sure you don’t show any favouritism.
  
• Do it frequently – people like being appreciated and recognised. If they deserve it, do it.
  
• Make it unconditional – if you’re going to say thank you, mean it.

In our experience, recognition is even more powerful when combined with a memorable reward. Non-cash awards almost always work best, especially with a small per-head budget – a treat purchased with a £50 voucher or gift card is far more memorable and motivational than an additional £50 in a pay cheque which is easily absorbed into everyday spending.

A filtered stored-value card allows points to only be redeemed at a carefully chosen selection of retailers, ensuring that awards are redeemed on desirable gifts. The right reward is important, and here are our top three tips:

• Keep it in proportion – the perceived value of the reward should be appropriate to the level of effort. You can get this wrong both ways – too great a gift is as inappropriate as one that is too small.
  
• Provide something visible – whether it’s a certificate, a hand-written card or even a helium balloon, a physical reminder of the recognition reinforces your message.
  
• Make it unique – consider a ‘money can’t buy’ element to make your reward more memorable and provide ‘trophy value’ for the recipient. This could be an afternoon off, vouchers to redeem with an experience company or, budget permitting, tickets to a film premiere.

Remember, this week is ‘National Thank You Week’ so make an effort to let your team and colleagues know how much you appreciate their hard work.

Performance improvement specialists Maritz is sponsoring ‘National Thank You Week’, which runs from 19 to 25 November, with the intention of raising awareness of the importance of recognition in the workplace.