You know how hard it is to hang on to talented Finance staff. Meaningful recognition is right up there with competitive pay/benefits and challenging work in terms of what keeps employees engaged, motivated and productive.
But a number of factors – poor communication, nomination-only rewards, lack of transparency and perceived fairness, etc. – keep many employers’ recognition programs from being as effective as they should be.
An ambivalent workforce
The result of ineffective workplace recognition programs: Disengagement. In fact, 70% of employees said they’re ambivalent about their current job, according to Gallup.
At the Dig|Benefits Conference in Austin, Texas, Tom Short talked about the vital role technology can play in improving workplace recognition.
According to Short, a number of software programs have popped up in recent years dedicated to fixing the common problems associated with employee recognition programs.
One example is Kudos, a private social network employers can use for peer-to-peer recognition.
Best of social networks
The program piggybacks on the popular social network features such as communities and groups; peer-to-peer communication; media (photo, video), sharing and comments; and endorsements (think Facebook’s “like”). Recognition is broken down into two categories: employee to employee or manager to employee.
That’s just one example of the software that’s available to beef up your recognition efforts. Depending on your needs, vendors offer everything from straight up recognition to employee advocacy (information about company issues).
With programs available for as little as $3-$5 per employee, the upfront investment can be minimal.
Based on “Digital Employee Engagement – Shining a New Light On Feedback, Recognition and Culture Building,” by Tom Short, as presented at the Dig|Benefits Conference in Austin, TX
