Does Thanking Employees Really Keep Them Around?

First and foremost, it should go without explaining that employee recognition is an important part of the work process.

It’s not strictly necessary—managers don’t tend to hit a quota of saying “thank you” ten times per quarter, after all—but there have been numerous studies on how employee recognition encourages engagement and satisfaction in the workplace. And really, when have you ever heard of someone complaining that their boss thanked them today?

TINYPulse delved into this issue and shared that “87% of recognition programs focus on tenure.” That’s a bit of a double-edged sword there. We’re still engaging those employees that have been loyal to our companies for some time, which is incredibly important, but your team shouldn’t have to wait five years to get a shout-out at work. It’ll make the next five years feel like a slog just to get a pat on the back.

TINYPulse also stated that “when asked what leaders could do more of to improve engagement, 58% of respondents replied ‘give recognition.’”

58%? More than half of employees can receive more job fulfillment for the low, low cost of employee recognition? What a bargain!

And these gestures don’t have to be big: we’re talking about paying special attention and complimenting someone’s great work at the end of a kudos meeting. Here at Kinetix, we make it a little nicer with something called factor cards.

With a super cute and eye-catching design, employees are given cards that detail how they exemplified one of our six core values:

1. 1. Gets Stuff Done (fights procrastination every day)
   2. Likeable (the real factor)
   3. Figures Things Out (the smart factor)
   4. Passion & Innovation (drinks the Kool-Aid)
   5. Connector (brings passion, street smarts, and networking together), and
   6. Kick-Ass Teammate (delivers more than expected).

Our managers and colleagues fill them out, and they all invariably adorn our desks, going the extra mile when it comes to recognition. Simple, and effective!

Those efforts (big and small) will have a huge impact on culture. TINYPulse also noted, “Companies with recognition programs that are highly effective at improving employee engagement have 31% lower voluntary turnover.” We all know it’s a long and arduous process to find great new employees (though we may know some people who can help with that . . .), so the decision to invest more in employee recognition programs isn’t just a kindness, it’s a smart fiscal move!

So how are your companies shouting out the great work your people are doing? Make an effort during the months ahead to put some valuable focus on your team’s achievements. You’ll rack up the karma points and keep your employees (and bottom line) happy at the same time.

Win-win!