The end of the year -or any turning point for that matter- is a golden opportunity to reflect on the results, start planning for the next chapter and most importantly recharge the energy of your employees.

And one of the best ways to help your people recharge is recognition of outstanding work. So, let’s take a look on how to successfully recognize your employees.

The importance of recognition

To figure out the best ways to recognize your employees, let’s first establish the importance of recognition. So, why is it important to recognize the good work done?

According to Forbes, there are 3 main benefits for recognizing your employees:

1. The most obvious benefit is the morale boost. A recognized employee is a happy employee, and generally, those happy vibes spread around the office space. Also, this creates an atmosphere of positive competition if done right.
2. It increases the trust in you as a manager/leader. Broadly speaking, appreciation goes both ways, so when you appreciate and recognize your employees they’ll, in turn, give that appreciation back to you, building bridges of trust much better than any trust fall can do.
3. More sense of belonging to the institution. One of the most common reasons to leave a job is lack of appreciation, and with the right system of recognition, you’ll be able to avoid that.

How to effectively recognize your employees

A bad recognition system can backfire and create a toxic environment, so here are some guidelines and tips to successfully establish your recognition system:

• The recognition should be inclusive. Every employee should be eligible for it, and while you can make specific sections for specific sectors, everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve it.
• Make sure the rules and guidelines are clear from the get-go. Avoid randomness in selection at all cost, so you can at the end have a system that actually reflects the good work being done.
• Have a system that selects the worthy induvial based on data and results. Avoid interfering in it anyway, so the results don’t get branded by “favoritism”.
• Gamify it. While it might seem a tad bit unprofessional at first, gamifying your recognition system gives a fun twist to it that just might be what your employees to empower. Examples of this include game-like achievements to unlock, rewards and game-like progression of levels.
• Connect it to your culture. Like anything that happens in an institution, your recognition system must be aligned with and even inspired by your culture.
• Customize your system based on feedback from the employees. If the goal is to incentivize them then it needs to be something they connect to and understand.

With those guidelines and more you’ll be able to create an atmosphere of competition that builds a sense of belonging to the workplace, and ultimately drive your growth.

In the end, recognition is a piece of the puzzle that is management, but it’s a vital piece in creating something bigger than just a workplace.

What are some creative ways to recognize the employees? Tell us in the comments.