This week we were awarded the Silver Medal in the Human Resources/Employee Training category, given by the Axiom Business Book Awards, “designed to honor the year’s best business books and their authors and publishers. Well, I certainly recommend giving it a read to see how you can transform your work culture through the power of appreciation, gratitude, recognition and, yes, thanks. MORE

Peer recognition serves a critical role, but managers must not abdicate their responsibility to notice and praise employees, too. What’s the connection to social recognition? Recognition and appreciation from peers and colleagues is undeniably important. That’s why the recognition lever is a powerful component of the manager’s toolkit. by Traci Pesch. MORE

Appreciation, recognition and praise are powerful means to engage and energize today’s modern workforce. ” In 2014, I worked on many inspiring and challenging projects, but one I am particularly proud of released today – our newest book, The Power of Thanks: How Social Recognition Empowers Employees and Creates a Best Place to Work. by Derek Irvine. Recognize This! MORE

Your “Steady Eddie” employees are the people who make it possible for your stars to shine. They deserve recognition and praise, too. Your superstar employees tend to get the most attention and adulation, but it’s often those in the “mighty middle” that make it possible for those stars to shine. by Lynette Silva. Recognize This! And then there’re moments that bring you to tears. MORE

Employee Appreciation Day is a good way to show appreciation… but year-round social recognition is much more impactful. By now, most of you are probably aware of Employee Appreciation Day, which falls on the first Friday in March. Year-round recognition tops a single day of appreciation #EmployeeAppreciationDay Click To Tweet. By Derek Irvine. Recognize This! MORE

Even after a difficult year, giving employees the appreciation and recognition they deserve is an important bonus. Last Summer I followed the Market Basket grocery store saga religiously. I was captivated by the story of non-unionized employees willing to risk their livelihood to keep their CEO. What kind of special recognition does your company offer at the holidays? MORE

Budgets must be appropriately established to reach all employees in a differentiated and calibrated way. How should I structure an employee recognition program that will have the kind of impact I’m seeking?”. But two foundational aspects deal with how to invest appropriately in recognition and how to use that investment wisely. 1) Set an Appropriate Budget. MORE

They are the ones who are paying more attention to their employees. Tim puts it this way: “Some employees need to be managed to get the most out of them. They need to be held accountable. I do think there is a balance that we can get to when it comes to paying attention to our employees, like they want, and being able to ‘manage’ them like the business needs.” MORE

Recently we released our WorkHuman Research Institute Spring 2016 report, “ The ROI of Recognition in building a More Human Workplace,” assessing the attitudes and expectations of those fully employed from their workplaces today. (Be sure to tune in Thursday, April 14, for Derek Irvine ’s discussion with  Sharlyn Lauby of the findings of the report. by Lynette Silva. Perception is reality. MORE

As a Senior Recognition Strategist and Consultant at Globoforce, I have the opportunity to meet and work with fascinating people every day. China explained that Great Place to Work methodologies measure three key relationships within the organization: Is the relationship between employees and their leaders founded in trust? Employee appreciation is a key driver of trust. MORE

Recognize This! – We all know the power of social recognition to engage and retain employees, but when employees have multiple channels to share recognition, the benefits grow exponentially. The IBM Smarter Workforce Institute (SWI) recently released a report showing the importance of using multiple channels for recognition. More Timely Recognition! MORE

Recognize This! – How your employees experience recognition and appreciation for daily efforts and results can determine the success of your organization culture. Simply look for telltale signs of a culture of recognition and appreciation at work. Companies included in the fund are selected based on how well they care for their employees. by Lynette Silva. Brands, yes. MORE

Leadership, involvement by all, and strong communications are critical to making recognition and appreciation part of the daily rhythm of work. While my role is consult with and guide them on their recognition journey, I’ve also learned from them over the years. One such recent scorecard highlighted key learnings as they’ve achieved a milestone in social recognition availability. MORE

Recognize This! – At the heart of any success social recognition program are the relationships built through appreciation of others. Gartner just issued their second social recognition report for 2015: “Use Seven Best Practices to Plan Your Recognition and Rewards Project.” That’s a clear message throughout the report – the importance of putting the employee first. MORE

Social recognition is a very powerful means of creating and managing culture, when structured in a considered, thoughtful way. Q10: How should companies balance positive recognition with encouraging people to offer candid criticism, as well? In other words, is there a risk that focusing on encouraging positive recognition risks silencing negative feedback? by Derek Irvine. MORE

Recognize This! – A sustainable culture of recognition starts with “why” to inform positive spirals between culture and practices. Why does employee recognition matter? What elements make social recognition a success? What types of significant results are achievable through social recognition? So, why is recognition important?  By Traci Pesch. MORE

Yet all too often, peers and their observations are ignored or lessened in an employee recognition experience. One hindrance to peer recognition is manager perception that recognition is one of the few levers they have. Culture of Appreciation Social Recognition employee recognition and appreciation friends at work peer recognition peers friendships MORE

Employee engagement is increasing in most factors, but we’re still falling short in recognizing employees and providing them with the tools to do the job well. Last Friday, I shared information showing that increasing employee engagement is one of the best ways you can help secure corporate information. What mechanism does Aon Hewitt use to determine employee engagement? MORE

— More diverse workplaces will require all of us to expand our recognition repertoires. Recently, I was thinking about how employee recognition happens, particularly from the perspective of the one doing the nominating – a supervisor, a peer, or even a direct report. We know that recognition needs to be timely , social , and linked to key strategic goals and objectives. MORE

Your social recognition program can find them. What do I do? I don’t help companies implement employee recognition programs. partner with company leaders to help them create or strengthen a culture of recognition and appreciation across the entire organization. We typically refer to them as recognition ambassadors. by Lynette Silva. Recognize This! MORE

— Aligning individual behavior to core values can be a challenge, but recognition is one way to win over that last mile. The “last mile” involves the challenge of aligning individual employee behavior to the strategy and initiatives, as the final part of the cascading process. What is one key to success in cultivating the right employee behaviors? by Derek Irvine. MORE

This means that senior leadership, managers, and employees are not only invested in reinforcing their culture, but doing so through strengthening and improving it. It means giving everyone the ability to recognize employees who may express contributions to a company’s culture in new and different ways, expanding the definition of what it means to work according to core values. MORE

When we consult on social recognition , a common (and important) question is, “Yes, I understand and agree with the value and importance of recognition, but how do I recognize well? Social Recognition Strategic Recognition & Company Values appreciation gratitude praise sincere recognition by Derek Irvine. Recognize This! How do I coach others to do the same?”. MORE

— Sharing appreciation and gratitude for others should be simple to encourage frequent, timely praise and recognition. recently had the pleasure (ahem) of being re-acquainted with this office equipment fixture of old while trying to execute a recognition moment of sorts. Eliminate Barriers to Recognition. Recognition must be fluid and easy. by Brenda Pohlman. MORE

Company culture, career opportunities and trust in senior leaders drive employee satisfaction far more than salary. In contrast, culture and values, career opportunities, and trust in senior leadership are the biggest drivers of long-term employee satisfaction.”. And the model predicts overall satisfaction pretty well, explaining about 76% of variation in employee satisfaction. MORE

Social recognition is a very powerful means of creating and managing culture, when structured in a considered, thoughtful way. Employees need to satisfy their base requirements for safety, security, food, etc. Maintaining your most valued assets requires an appropriate blend of both compensation and recognition. Q2: Are there specific rules for employee appreciation? MORE

Recognize This! – All employees can benefit from the power of thanks, regardless of job type, function or role. I get asked lot of questions. As an employee recognition strategist and consultant, I hear interesting and important questions from dedicated professionals seeking to understand how they can make work more human for their colleagues. by Traci Pesch. MORE

Great benefit can be gained simply by encouraging employees to deepen relationships with each other through appreciation, gratitude and story sharing. Findings are consistent with what we see in the US, with employees highly valuing relationships at work but feeling unsupported by the organization in building those relationships more deeply. by Derek Irvine. Recognize This! MORE

— There are many drivers of employee engagement, but feedback, recognition and “thanks” lead the charge. First up, Josh Bersin authored the research piece  “Becoming irresistible: A new model for employee engagement,”  which appeared in Issue 16 of the  Deloitte Review.  by Derek Irvine. Recognize This! It is at the heart of what good managers do. MORE

Recognize This! – A key aspect of effective employee recognition is providing appreciation in the way most meaningful to the recipient. But it doesn’t fully apply to employee recognition. And isn’t that really the point of recognition? Frequent, timely recognition outside of a paycheck accomplishes this goal more readily. by Derek Irvine. MORE

Culture of Appreciation employee recognition positive psychology positivity at work by Derek Irvine. Recognize This! — Research shows positive practices benefit your company, simply by caring for others. What’s the real Power of Thanks ? It’s through these connections that we are more fulfilled, more engaged and, yes, more grateful ourselves. MORE

Recognize This! – A social recognition solution aligned to core values helps ensure that those values are lived by all employees and actively managed by leaders. ” As I write in the full post, there are two ways that social recognition, when aligned to core values, can help avoid these problems and ultimately increase the effectiveness of the organization. MORE

Building a strong foundation on your core values is proven to increase employee engagement. Of course, we dive much more deeply into why this is true, but to summarize – the values underlying your culture are the defining factors for how all employees should behave to achieve the organizational objectives. They also give employees a sense of greater meaning and context of their work. MORE

The top two-thirds of Maslow’s Hierarchy are needs that can only be met by authentic human interaction – shared values, shared esteem, recognition and appreciation. One of the most powerful methods of conveying meaning and purpose is through recognition and appreciation. Nearly every company offers some form of acknowledgment of major milestone service anniversaries for employees. MORE

— Social recognition is well suited to enable business success in response to growing trends in globalization, social networking, and mobile technology. The modern organization has been drastically transformed in recent years by the confluence of three major trends, each of which has had a large impact on how employees expect to interact with one another. One of the ways in which companies can successfully navigate these trends is through social recognition. How has your company used recognition to respond to the changing world of work? By Derek Irvine. MORE

— Inadvertently placing unnecessary rules on employee behavior, instead of offering more freedom, can hurt productivity. Most of my emphasis there was on the problems inherent in the design of those types of attendance awards, and why such findings can’t be applied to true employee recognition programs. Employee Motivation autonomy empowerment Freedom MORE

But then, as I read the patterns the teacher is looking for, it reminded me of the similar patterns we also look for through social recognition programs. Social recognition, when monitored and tracked appropriately , reveals similar patterns – both positive and potentially negative. Is there a potential underlying performance issue resulting in little to no recognition? MORE

— Whether you favor a competitive or humane workplace, or something in between, a culture of recognition can be valuable. Developing a culture of recognition realists can be one successful path to this middle ground. by Derek Irvine. Recognize This! More and more is written these days about the best ways to interact with each other in the workplace. MORE

In the consulting and strategy work I do with global organizations we strongly advise basing a global social recognition program on the organization’s core values such that all employees, wherever in the world they are located, are demonstrating the same values and associated behaviors that company leadership has determined are critical to organizational success. by Derek Irvine. MORE

– Consider carefully the words we use to recognize others and whether go-to phrases like ”good job” have a place in our recognition vocabulary. The real power of workplace recognition is not in motivating the most elite levels of talent in the organization. Despite being a fixture in our lexicon, “good job” alone hardly qualifies as bona fide recognition. Recognize This! MORE