All of us love the feeling of being appreciated. It lifts our spirits, and makes us feel like valued members of our team. And recognition goes even further than that — people who receive meaningful recognition are 3.6X more likely to work harder than they have at past companies and 3X more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work.
So how can tech companies motivate their very busy employees to take a few moments and provide kudos? Below are best practices from Reflektive customers Enquero, Alfresco, and Brad’s Deals on how they’ve built a culture of appreciation across their tech-savvy workforces.
Best Practice 1: Set Recognition Goals
Start by setting a company-wide recognition goal. Having a north star – and one that’s measurable! – will help better guide team and individual efforts to provide more praise.
So how can tech firms best set recognition goals? Enquero’s goal was to “create a culture of thanks”, and they measured their success by analyzing the percentage of employees that received recognition (77% shortly after their launch!)
Other ideas for quantifiable recognition goals include:
- The percentage of employees who provide recognition every month or quarter
- The average number of recognition posts per employee
- The percentage of recognition posts that incorporate company values (this is easy with hashtag usage in Reflektive!)
Best Practice 2: Incorporate Recognition Into Existing Programs
Tech companies can boost their culture of appreciation by including recognition in 1:1s, check-ins, and other programs. Alfresco encourages employees to ask questions such as, “What am I doing well?” and “What do you like about my work?” in their 1:1s with managers.
Brad’s Deals enhanced their check-ins with “shout-outs” from Reflektive. Within the check-in form, managers can see all of the recognition (or “shout-outs”) that the employee has received. This added information provides a holistic picture on employee performance, and helps eliminate recency bias. “Shout-outs have been instrumental for us as we’re looking to enable the most robust performance conversations,” said Jessica Adams, Brad’s Deals’ VP of People.
Busy tech employees are also more likely to provide recognition when it’s built into their existing workflows. In fact, employees who use our email and chat integrations generate 3X more feedback. Enquero employees provide recognition with Reflektive’s Microsoft Teams integration, while Brad’s Deals team members use Reflektive’s Slack integration.
Best Practice 3: Use Other Channels to Bring Recognition to Life
Finally, Reflektive’s technology sector customers have gotten creative with additional ways to make recognition front and center. Alfresco uses a variety of tactics to make kudos more visible and drive their culture of appreciation:
- Employees use Reflektive’s recognition wall to drive public praise
- Managers send congratulatory emails to employees after big accomplishments
- Alfresco includes recognition content in their manager trainings to ensure that bosses give kudos when appropriate
Additional ideas to encourage appreciation?
- Create a company-wide recognition campaign, by rewarding employees that provide or receive the most kudos
- Let new hires know about your feedback culture by building recognition training into employee onboarding
- Share praise for individuals and teams during All-Staff meetings
- Send out a weekly recognition recap email to highlight major accomplishments (this email is automated with Reflektive!)
Looking for more insights to help your tech company launch a recognition program? Chat with an expert.