Company Culture: How Do You Honor Your Most Valuable Employees?

Recognizing employees’ achievements (both personal and professional), legacy, loyalty and commitment is one of the easiest ways to boost employee morale and performance. With many industries struggling with employee retention, why not make sure your employees feel valued and appreciated. This small kindness could be the reason an employee decides to stay onboard with your organization.

Does your company have an employee recognition program?

Employee recognition is the open acknowledgment and praise of employee behavior or achievement. It’s used by organizations to express appreciation, motivate employees and reinforce desired behaviors.

When employees feel valued, they’re more engaged, motivated and likely to go the extra mile for their company. According to data collected by Quantum Workplace, organizations with recognition programs have 31% less voluntary turnover than those companies with no program at all. Companies that make employee recognition a focus are 12x more likely to have strong business outcomes, and when employees believe they will be recognized for their efforts, they are 2.7x more likely to be highly engaged.

What can you do if your company culture is in chaos?

If your company’s culture has struggled the last few years and employee morale is down, first know that you are not alone. Remote work, burnout in booming industries, and a variety of other factors have impacted business for everyone. That said, below are a few ways to reengage your frontline brand ambassadors and build a company culture that retains employees for the duration of their career.

1. Conduct focus groups. Sometimes management knows something is wrong but doesn’t know what that something is. When direct conversation is absent and fear at the workplace takes over, consider hiring a communications agency or outside consultant to conduct focus groups within your organization. Employees will be much more willing to speak freely and provide clarity on both challenges and solutions. From there, simple fixes can be identified and resolved.
2. If you say you’re going to do something, stick to it. When creating an employee program, listen to concerns, build a program and stick to it. Inflexibility at work is cited as one of the leading reasons for why employees leave a company. Since the pandemic, employees don’t feel like they’ve gotten the flexibility they once had (and they want it back). According to a McKinsey survey, 87% of employees offered at least some flexibility with remote work embrace the opportunity.
3. Create a company culture unique to your business. Culture plays a huge role in the employee experience and a toxic culture can be a top reason someone leaves. On the flip side, a good company culture contributes to a host of positive benefits in the workplace. When employees feel connected to their workplace, we know employee engagement increases and turnover decreases. If a healthy lifestyle is a core characteristic of your company, then promote and encourage team exercise classes or team building through a ropes course. Whatever your ‘thing’ is, get everyone on board and celebrate it.

No one wants to play on a losing team. Incentive your employees to succeed. Give praise when praise is due. And don’t forget to keep the lines of communication open. It’s a true win-win for your company’s bottom line and your employees’ happiness and wellbeing.

Connect with us to learn more about how you can improve your company’s culture and effectively recognize your employees. Together, we can create a work environment where everyone feels valued, motivated, and engaged. Contact Paige Donnell at paige@paigepr.com to explore how Paige PR’s expertise can make a difference for your organization.