Let’s get real about recognition
It’s time to get real about recognition. We’re not talking about the perks, but true recognition - the kind that leaves team members with a sincere reminder about why their work matters, and tells them that their impact was actually noticed.
Real recognition is a deceivingly simple concept and yet can be challenging to implement consistently and at scale.
This post is dedicated to all the leaders (formal and informal) who want to inspire performance through meaningful recognition. Notice we didn’t say “drive performance” - yes, we want to inspire performance, by helping the drive come from within.
So, what is “real” recognition, anyway?
Real recognition is not new. In fact much of what we’re about to share is about how we can bring back the real human connection in recognition, which we’re calling “real recognition”. Somewhere along the road from “we’re a family” types of workplace cultures, to cold and grey offices with fluorescent lights, to hybrid workplaces, we lost something deeply human about recognition and we’re here to help bring it back with a modern touch.
Real recognition is organic, authentic, and has real meaning and impact, and it appeals to both the heart and the mind. Sweet nothings can help boost morale for a second, but quickly fade (and get forgotten when not tracked) while purely threshold-based and hard-facts focused recognition can feel robotic and inauthentic.
Real recognition is deeper than praise, validation, or a pat on the back. And what the recognition looks like - a message on a digital platform, a handwritten note, an email, a face-to-face conversation, is secondary to how it’s implemented - close in time to the recognition-worthy moment, and with a sincere message.
Real Recognition is not measured in decibels
We love analytics and we love measurable outcomes. So naturally we’re going to start with how we can know if recognition is happening, and happening right. Measuring recognition beyond the inputs is challenging since real recognition impacts so many different aspects of the employee experience. For now, it’s worth mentioning that real recognition is not measured in decibels - it doesn’t have to be noisy to be meaningful, but can still have real measurable impact in employee engagement scores, performance, and retention. One way to offer recognition that is super meaningful and low on decibels, is recognition in the form of development opportunities - nominating your start performer for a spot in your company’s internal leadership development program, or visibility to a broader audience, can cost next to nothing, and yet leave a lasting and potentially career defining impact.
Only recognize what deserves recognition
Um.. what else would we recognize? Hear us out! When we recognize those who are “burning the midnight oil” repeatedly or otherwise compromising the well-being of themselves or others to get a project or task to the finish line, we’re not rewarding the right behaviours, attitudes, or culture. Take a moment to recognize the behaviours that helped yield the awesome outcome - where those behaviours aligned with your company values? if they were hard work, perseverance, and solid team work, then yes, let’s recognize! If it was working well into the night for days or weeks on end or fostering toxicity or fear, then let’s have a different conversation and recognize the progress when it happens.
Make it fair but selective
Recognition without any real need to earn it has very little value. Think of participation ribbons - if this recognition is being received purely for showing up, give it another think. Being intentional with recognition makes it much more meaningful to the person receiving it but the access to recognition opportunities should be accessible to everyone. Helping those who’ve really gone above and beyond feel the outsized benefit, helps make recognition much more impactful and avoids diluting its value.
Watch out for bias
Wait a minute…? Doing something good could have bias? Well not entirely, but when sharing recognition and messages, over time, watch out for patterns such as recognizing certain people or types of people for certain types of behaviours more so than others. One single note of recognition may be unlikely to demonstrate bias, but if a pattern emerges where let’s say women are generally only praised for formatting, organizing, and coordinating, while men are mostly praised for analytical and strategic thinking, there could be a sign of bias. Take a look at what were the contributions and supporting behaviours and recognize those, and be aware that there may be contributions or behaviours that weren’t immediately apparent to you. Gather perspectives from others in the project, meeting, team, or huddle, and test your observations of what you noticed in the contributions of others.
Make it personal and human first
Whether recognition is delivered through an email, handwritten note, face-to-face conversation, or through a digital platform, make it personal and specific. Help connect the unique aspects of that person’s approach with the values of your company and the purpose of your team’s work. If there is AI-generated prompts or templated messages, take an extra minute to adjust the template even just slightly to show you care and that this message is human. Let technology play a supporting role, but not steal the show. And align recognition with goals team members have stated for themselves and observe their progress.
In closing
Real recognition is meaningful and authentic. The impact sticks not only intrinsically but can also help feed into performance evaluations when it can be tracked. Technology can play an amazing supporting role in recognition by nudging leaders and colleagues at recognition-worthy moments, and offering a starting point with the messaging, but it’s more important than ever to bring back the human touch in recognition.
If you’re looking for an extra hand in designing or re-designing your approach to recognition in a truly human-centred way, People Strategy is here for you!