“Recognition is simple, and comes naturally outside of the workplace; it’s a habit that more workplaces need to adopt in order to continue to foster a competitive business,” Sasha Bricel wrote in an HR.com blog post.
“Today’s employees want to be acknowledged for successes affecting the company and are more inclined to drive results when their work is celebrated.”
There’s no denying the importance of both individual recognition and team recognition in the workplace. However, there’s a time to use individual recognition for specific employees and other times when team recognition is more suitable.
Learn the best times to use these different forms of employee recognition to improve morale and benefit your business.
Individual Recognition
Certain employees stand out from the crowd.
When these stellar staff members really go above and beyond, it’s crucial to recognize their hard work and dedication. For example, when a group is working on a major project, individually recognize those people who are acting as a driving force. Let’s say Sue composed all of the spreadsheets needed for the project over the weekend so that the team could hit the ground running on Monday morning.
She needs an individual shoutout.
Additionally, recognition initiatives such as an employee of the month program is a great method for acknowledging the work of individuals. Regularly taking time to call out the outstanding efforts of individual employees is an important component to effectively motivate and inspire others.
Boosting morale using these recognition methods will have positive effects on your business that you’ll sooner than you expect.
Team Recognition
While schoolchildren are taught the importance of teamwork, this skill can still be a challenging one for adults in the workplace. So when teams work together effectively and successfully to the benefit of your business, it’s of the utmost importance to recognize the group’s impressive efforts.
There’s plenty of perfect opportunities to recognize the work of effective teams in your company. For instance, upon delivering a successful pitch to a client, the team responsible should be recognized for their teamwork and drive. Maybe host a company-wide meeting to recognize the team’s top-notch presentation and the positive outcome, and present each team member with a certificate to commemorate their outstanding efforts. Other small awards, like lapel pins, sticky notes, and a handwritten Thank You card are wonderful gifts of your gratitude.
There’s a time and a place for everything, and that certainly applies to individual and team recognition in the workplace.
As a business leader, knowing when to recognize a person versus when to acknowledge a full team empowers you to galvanize your staff while improving the bottom line.
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