Offering Personalized Recognition

Personalized recognition strengthens engagement as employees who feel valued tend to work harder, pursue growth, and contribute positively to the organization.

In this article:

• Overview
• Understand Employee Recognition Preferences
• The Power of Recognition (Video)

Overview

Employees are unique individuals with diverse personalities and backgrounds that influence their work styles and recognition preferences.

Personalized recognition strengthens engagement as employees who feel valued tend to work harder, pursue growth, and contribute positively to the organization. By celebrating employees’ efforts, managers can energize those being recognized and set a standard of excellence for the team.

Understand Employee Recognition Preferences

To create meaningful recognition, managers should take time to understand each employee's unique preferences. A straightforward way to do this is by asking, “How do you like to be recognized?”

This question reveals valuable insights, such as:

• Public vs. Private Recognition: Does the employee prefer being recognized in team meetings or a more private setting?
• Recognition for Specific Contributions: What types of accomplishments resonate most with the employee, i.e. solving problems, managing challenging situations, etc? 
• Timing: Does the employee appreciate acknowledgment for incremental progress or prefer recognition once a major project is complete?
• Individual vs. Team Recognition: Would the employee rather be recognized individually or as part of a team effort?

The Power of Recognition

To see an example of great recognition, check out our video, The Power of Storytelling in Recognition: