While a paycheck gets most of us to work every morning, there are other important factors that can impact employees’ happiness at their job, which contributes to their overall engagement. With about one-third of employees in the US engaged in their jobs, it’s important to ask—what really helps retain top talent?

 

The answer is simple: Employees want to be acknowledged. Often, however, employee recognition is overlooked. It sounds like such a simple task, but many companies and managers forget how critical this can be for employee happiness. This can be as basic as encouraging managers to send an email or set up a quick trip for coffee to recognize their direct report’s efforts and success. It can also include ensuring managers give their team a day off, or give an occasional "big-ticket item" to acknowledge consistent hard work.  

 

With so many ways to recognize phenomenal employees, what is the right approach to building an employee recognition program at your organization? Check out these three easy and creative ways to start.

 

1) Consider your company culture and mission. 

Phenom People’s culture revolves around giving our employees a #NotNormal culture experience. From our standing desks to our shared candy wall in the office, we love to surprise our employees with out-of-the-box perks. It was through aligning our #NotNormal work culture and the belief that our employees should be celebrated at work that the CRISPie Awards were born—our own take on an employee recognition program. This quarterly awards ceremony celebrates six individuals that have exemplified one of Phenom People’s core values during the previous quarter. Each employee is nominated by other Phenoms, and they receive a reward that is meaningful to them, as well as videos from their friends and family congratulating them for the honor. As a TA team, we are always trying to personalize the employee experience, so it is only fitting that the awards are personalized for the winners. 

 

 

2) Know your employees. 

 

It can take time to understand how each employee is motivated. According to the Predictive Index, 44% of employees don’t believe they are getting enough feedback from their manager. As a manager, it is important to start with frequent one-on-one meetings or internal surveys to learn more about your employees and how to help them succeed in their role. Being a good manager is more important than ever for employees to feel passionate and engaged in their jobs. Like anything, employees’ preferences are not one-size-fits-all. 

 

3) Create a special moment. 

For example, last winter, we offered an intern a full-time job based on her incredible job during her internship. Instead of simply offering her the job by emailing an offer letter, we gathered video messages from her fellow interns wishing her congratulations on her job offer. We also invited her family into the office with some special goodies to really personalize the moment. Her reaction was priceless, and she will always hold the memory of her first job offer. Moments like these show that retaining employees can be easy when you show them how much they are appreciated.

 

Recognizing Top Talent = Retaining Top Talent

As you can see, there is an abundant amount of different ways to recognize great talent. From a pat on the back to a personalized moment, you can’t go wrong when you understand what motivates your employees. The only wrong way to handle this topic is to ignore its importance. At the end of the day, we are all only as good as our people—so why not show them how much we appreciate them?