Importance of Employee Recognition in the Workplace: Building Culture & Community
Employee recognition has always been an important part of any business, especially when it comes to building company culture and employee retainment.
Today, the job market is hot and the competition for talent continues to escalate, causing many companies to reevaluate their company culture and step up their employee recognition game. As an employee, what is your company doing to differentiate itself from others? What are you looking for in your current or next role to set your standards for workplace culture?
What is Employee Recognition
Before you brainstorm ways to better your employee recognition programs, you must first understand what employee recognition is, its importance, and its benefits.
Employee recognition is a term that refers to the way employers recognize and appreciate their employees’ efforts and accomplishments. Here are a few examples of employee recognition in the workplace:
- Employee milestones (work anniversaries, birthdays, etc.);
- Recognizing exceptional behavior or efforts; and
- Employee achievements.
Whether you’re giving a formal award to an employee or taking them to lunch for their birthday, employee recognition always goes a long way.
Importance of Employee Recognition
Wanting to come into work and feeling appreciated is key for sustaining a positive work life that keeps you wanting to come back every day. Having an employer who recognizes the value of your work creates positive reinforcement and raises moral in the workplace.
The following are several ways employee recognition programs can make a difference in the workplace:
- Employee recognition retains talent;
- Employee recognition increases employee engagement; and
- Employee recognition encourages high performance.
According to a study by Great Place to Work, employees who feel valued at work are 2.6 times more likely to think that promotions are fair, 2.2 times more likely to say innovative thinking and new ideas are welcome and embraced, and 2 times more likely to go above and beyond in their daily job duties than those who don’t feel appreciated. Put simply: your employees will work harder and support your company if they feel valued!
How to Identify a Meaningful Employee Recognition Program
If your company does not have an employee recognition program, it’s never too late to start one! No matter what generation you’re trying to attract, every employee enjoys feeling valued as a person and for the skills they possess.
To create a meaningful employee recognition program, make sure to connect your program with your company’s mission and values. Doing this will set the standard for a strong company culture, define your company as a team, and help you accomplish your vision.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a big budget—even a simple card or pat on the back can go a long way.
Invest in Your Employees
At Direct Lumber & Door, we are committed to providing our employees with the best possible resources for their success through our orientation program called Bootcamp. At Bootcamp, new hires spend their first week visiting each of the DLD locations to get an all-inclusive introduction and acclimation to our people and company.
Another way that we foster our employee’s development is through our “Breakfast Club” program which are informational sessions that allow employees the opportunity to learn and be exposed to new topics. This growth opportunity gives employees exposure to new beneficial learning topics that they may not be exposed to in their day to day, such as “The Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Businesses”.
Culture & Community at Direct Lumber & Door
At DLD we stive to make every employee feel recognized and appreciated. With our Mile High Award program, leadership recognizes one employee every month from each of our five divisions to be featured in our PRIDE Report newsletter, social media, and they receive a gift card. At DLD we want our employees to know that their efforts and achievements do not go unnoticed.
To learn about joining the DLD family and the positions available visit our career pages https://directlumberanddoor.com/careers/ or contact HR@DirectLumberandDoor.com