When it comes to engaging all individuals in your organization, you must recognize and reward them in a way that they want to be recognized. That being said, there are a few overarching ways to recognize your leaders, employees, and sales partners to create organizational alignment and engagement.
Here are 4 ideas for you to consider when building your Organizational Engagement program:
Non-monetary Recognition. Non-monetary recognition addresses the emotional needs of individuals. It reinforces behaviors that can change corporate culture permanently, and it is values and principle based. Some examples of non-monetary recognition could be a formal certificate of appreciation, publicly acknowledge an individual at a team meeting for their exceptional work, a quick and personalized thank-you in the hallway or a personalized email message they can save and look back on later.
Monetary Rewards. Monetary rewards address the rational needs of individuals. Rewards can be used to recognize high performers in your organization and motivate others. Most people love to be recognized financially with a performance bonus, raise, spot cards, spa gift certificates, or day-to-day via points in your engagement portal that they can save up and cash in for the gift of their choice.
Learning Opportunities. Learning and development is one of the key drivers of engagement. When you invest in your talent by enabling them with new skills and competencies, they are more likely to give you their energy and loyalty. Your talent does not want to stay stationary – they want to grow their skills that make them more marketable NOW and in the future. Providing your leaders, employees and sales reps with learning opportunities shows that you’re committed to their continued growth in the organization and makes them feel valued. Examples of learning opportunities can include formal eLearning, manager training, shadowing colleagues in roles above them, or even giving them a challenging project or problem to solve that makes them step out of their comfort zone.
Coaching and Feedback. Managers play a significant role in the day-to-day work experience and engagement of their direct reports. Your talent wants honest and ongoing feedback and communication so that they know your expectations and how they can achieve success. One-on-one coaching shows your talent that you have a vested interest in their development, growth and overall success. When they feel they are enabled to do their job to the best of their abilities and you give them the tools, guidance and direction to do so, the outcome will be immeasurable! Your engagement and recognition must be personalized for every individual inside your organization. The above ideas are just a few ways you can start to create engagement inside of your organization.