How Employee Recognition Contributes To Business Success
May 20, 2016In Management & Organizational Performance
What if all your employees were aligned with your values and motivated by your business goals. If they were all speaking positively about your business and willing to give their 110% everyday of the day of the week for your projects. This is probably what every employer dream of, but at the end of the day, things rarely work out like that. But what if we told you it’s actually pretty easy to create a work environment where employees feel motivated and happy?
This is nothing new: an employee whose work is recognized is naturally more motivated and productive at work. Some large companies are now successful in part because of the employee recognition culture they have created. With the thinking that the more you give, the more you get in return, these companies managed to become successful examples in terms of employee recognition. Here’s how four world-renowned companies deal with employee recognition.
ZAPPOS
If you’re interested in employee recognition, you may have already heard of Zappos. The online shoe shop describes itself as a customer service brand. The hiring process has two rounds of interviews: the first one validates skills and the second covers personality. Zappos is mainly interested in finding a good cultural fit. After they’re hired, employees must all spend four weeks in a call center to better understand how customer service really works. After those four weeks, they can either start their job or leave with $ 2,000. For the CEO Tony Hsieh, culture goes well beyond the paycheck. He believes that employees should feel like they can truly be themselves at work and not some kind of persona.
AIRBNB
Bryan Chesky, CEO of the hospitality exchange service Airbnb, firmly believes that a culture of recognition and happiness is the key to business success: ‘Why is culture so important to a business? Here is a simple way to frame it. The stronger the culture, the less corporate process a company needs. When the culture is strong, you can trust everyone to do the right thing. People can be independent and autonomous. They can be entrepreneurial.’ We could not agree more. Entrepreneurial employees feel responsible for the company’s success. If they are given freedom to create and share ideas, they will be passionate and loyal.
Google (Alphabet) is also known for its amazing culture of recognition. The company perks are quite impressive: organic breakfasts, lunches and dinners, haircuts, massages, gym, swimming pool, childcare… Google takes care of everything. By being generous, Google ensures that employees are happy and grateful. Although having so many perks is expensive, the company says it helps lower recruiting costs and staff turnover.
Facebook’s mission is clear: to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. This mantra is explained in a handbook made public online last year. Facebook is also known for offering great perks in order to lower staff turnover. Employees are given a lot of autonomy as soon as they arrive. For instance, new employees get to pick their team and projects according to their interests and ambitions. People feel trusted and are naturally more inclined to work harder.
There are thousands of ways to convey a recognition-driven culture. In addition to a strong mission, a lot of autonomy and attractive perks, it is also important to bind employees together in a positive way at all levels. Celebration social recognition platform is an all-in-one solution that helps employees connect with each other. The online app which is also mobile friendly allows users to send recognitions to each other. This feature means that a manager can recognize an employee, and vice versa. Moreover, recognitions are shared across the company, making them much more impactful. When employees feel like they’re responsible for their company’s success, when their hard work is highlighted and recognized, they will be more productive for sure.