The Power of Thanks: How to create a culture of recognition in the workplace

Feeling valued is a basic human need. That need doesn’t just magically disappear when we clock in for work.  

In fact, studies show that recognition in the workplace is a major contributing factor in employee satisfaction, productivity and even retention;  

• (79%) of employees who feel undervalued say they are looking for a job elsewhere. (Source: RW)  
• 70% of employees report feeling less motivated when their work goes unnoticed (Source: RW)  
• Companies with strong recognition programs see 31% lower voluntary turnover (Source: Deliotte)  
• Recognition can boost employee performance by up to 20% (Source: RW)  
• 90% of HR workers agreed that an effective recognition and reward programme helps drive business results (Source: RW)

Convinced yet? A culture of recognition isn’t just about handing out trophies. It’s about creating an environment where employees feel appreciated, motivated, and connected to the bigger picture. 

Building a culture of recognition 

So, how do you cultivate a workplace that put recognition and reward at the forefront? Not just from leaders, but peer-to-peer too.  

Define values and behaviours  

Cleary outline the company values to set everyone up for success and allow for accountability. By incorporating the companies’ values into the heart of everything you do, you allow employees to become brand advocates as well as enable opportunities to give recognition. 

Create Recognition programmes

There are many ways to instil recognition programmes and creates initiatives, for example: 

• Employee of the month  
• Channels dedicated to acknowledging peers  
• Team celebrations – get social!  
• Thank you notes 
• Spotlighting employees in meetings 

At Huler,we utilise HulerHub’s recognition leaderboard, Kudos, which has been really successful in improving recognition and reward across our remote team. Encourage peer to peer recognition 

Recognition shouldn’t just flow from the top down. Get everyone involved by creating peer-to-peer recognition programs or allow team members to nominate each other for public acknowledgments. This helps foster a supportive and collaborative environment.  

By doing this you could see a 35.7% improvement on your financial results as opposed to manager-only recognition. (Source: Pulse) 

Make it personal 

Employees want to be seen and not just feel like a number, it’s the age old saying. Acknowledge the person whom your recognising’s ambitions and goals, pay attention to how your recognition feeds back into their ambitions within the team and organisation.  

One of the best ways to ensure its personal is ask how the person likes to receive recognition and feedback, is it 1-1, amongst peers or through gestures?  

Remember a public announcement might embarrass someone who thrives on quiet praise, so ensure your find out what makes your employees feel valued and cater your recognition approach accordingly.  

Make it regular and not random 

A heartfelt ‘you did a fantastic job on that presentation’ six months later loses its punch.  

Integrate recognition into your workflow including weekly shout-outs, team huddles for kudos, or a ‘wins’ channel on your communication platform. These are all great ways to keep that recognition flowing.  

Be Specific 

A generic ‘good work’ is nice, but a ‘your attention to detail report really saved the day’ is powerful. Highlighting the specific actions and results that deserve recognition shows employees you see their efforts and their impact.  

With Huler, making recognition a core part of your culture is, well, as easy as 2 clicks! Speak to the team and find out more ways to engage, retain and recognise your team.  

Start your journey to a culture of recognition now, simply chat to our team of experts and find out more.