Recognise This! – Employees everywhere need and want recognition for work well done.

For a couple of years now, Globoforce (my company) has been running semi-annual Workforce Mood Tracker™ surveys, testing the opinions and moods of fully employed US workers. (I’ve featured the results of those studies in past posts here and here.)

Now we’ve issued our first UK Workforce Mood Tracker, proving the attitudes and opinions of the workforce are very similar across the pond.

Recognition Keeps People Working Harder and Loyal to You

• 64% of UK workers would leave their job for a company that clearly recognised contributions.
• 90% said employee recognition motivates them to do a better job.

People Like Recognition, but Aren’t Recognised Enough

• 86% said they like to have their efforts/contributions at work recognised
• 37% are dissatisfied with the level of recognition they receive for doing a good job

Recognition Frequency Is Directly Correlated to Key HR Metrics

• 70% of those recognised in the last month feel appreciated at their job vs. 11% of those never recognised
• 35% of those recognised in the last month plan to search for a new job vs. 44% of those never recognised
• 60% of those recognised in the last month are satisfied with the level of recognition they receive vs. 7% of those never recognised

Frustration around Executive Bonuses Is High

To me, this was particularly interesting. With widespread redundancies and salary reductions:

• Only 6% believe their organisation improved how they motivate and engage employees throughout the downturn
• 51% feel these elements had declined.

And that’s despite all the efforts of the Employee Engagement Task Force. Clearly, much works remains to be done.

Funding Recognition – Use Bonus Budgets Better

• 87% believe the money spent on large executive bonuses could be better spent elsewhere in the business. When asked how they would spend this money, 35% call for an employee recognition programme.
• The negativity towards the impact of bonuses also extends to the employees themselves, as nearly half of UK employees said they’d prefer more frequent recognition than a yearly bonus.

The full press release is available here. What do you think? Would more recognition for your work motivate you more?