Do your employees feel recognized? As in seen by you? Thanked for their work on your behalf? Praised every now and then when warranted?
Probably not: a recent survey found that 74 percent of workers in North America plan to switch jobs this year and 44 percent of them said their desire to leave was because of a lack of recognition and engagement at their current employer (that would be you).
So unless you want a good portion of your employees to leave for your competitors, here are three reasons why EVERY employee needs recognition.
- Humans need appreciation.
Notice we didn’t say “crave” or “like” or “want.” Nope. People need to be recognized for their good work because it confirms that our work – which in a way is our very being – is valued by others. Appreciating me means you value me and I absolutely need to feel valued.
If your employees feel you value their work, it benefits you: their productivity as well as satisfaction rises. This also leads them to want to maintain as well as improve on their good work. It’s a positive feedback loop that benefits everyone.
- If you’ve ever worked in a place that criticizes mostly and rarely praises, you know what crappy it was to toil.
Chances are all of us have worked for employers or supervisors at least once in our work lives that failed to praise and recognize. How did that make your feel? We bet you did only that which needed to be done, and the bare minimum of that, to boot. (You also probably kept your eye on the job boards regularly.)
Praising/recognizing your workers is essential when it comes to creating an exceptional workplace. Your employees want to be valued for their contributions and if they are not, morale sinks. And faster than you may think.
- Praise your team as a whole, of course, but don’t forget to praise workers individually.
It’s important to praise your team for work well done, as a team. But even if you know for a fact that some people worked and accomplished more than others, it’s still important to praise everyone individually for the good work.
Find something, no matter how small, to praise a worker for. You don’t need to do so publically. A handwritten thank you note mentioning the instance you noticed the worker do something special should be enough.
Noticing people individually shows you see them. Humans are social creatures and we all like to be part of an appreciated group, but it’s important for our individual psyches that others notice us. As in notice me. Just me.
Ignore individual employees and they could become disillusioned and may end up fueling a negative work environment, one that contributes to low morale, lower productivity and high turnover.
Turnover and attrition occurs even in the best companies. If you need great people for direct-hire, temporary and temp-to-hire opportunities at your LA- or Orange County-area business, contact us here at Helpmates. Contact our location nearest you.
