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Ayush is having a bad day—everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong has. He’s in a foul mood when he steps into the office and finds an email from his manager with the subject, ‘Important’. Cursing his luck, Ayush thinks it’s bound to be bad news and clicks on the mail, bracing for the worst. But, what does he find?
An incentive and a warm appreciation note from his manager, thanking him for his impactful presence at an important tech conference the previous week! Ayush’s mood is instantly lifted as his colleagues start dropping in and congratulating him on his success. (firework.com) He’s never felt more motivated and is prepared to take on any challenge. That’s the power of employee recognition.
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What Is Employee Recognition?
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What Is Peer-To-Peer Recognition?
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Benefits Of Peer-To-Peer Recognition
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How To Implement Peer-To-Peer Recognition?
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Foster Long-Lasting Relationships
What Is Employee Recognition?
Employee recognition refers to the act of openly recognizing, acknowledging and praising employees for their behavior, performance or accomplishments at work. Organizations utilize employee recognition to encourage employees to perform better and keep them invested in their work. Research has identified employee recognition as one of the top five drivers of employee engagement. Recognition for good work not only heightens organization-wide productivity but also boosts employee satisfaction and, consequently, retention.
Employee recognition at work comes in diverse forms, including leadership-led recognition, manager-led recognition and peer-to-peer recognition. Here we focus on peer-to-peer recognition, its benefits and how organizations can implement peer-to-peer recognition in the workplace.
What Is Peer-To-Peer Recognition?
Peer-to-peer recognition is a form of employee recognition where coworkers or peers appreciate, acknowledge and recognize one another for their contributions, skills and performance at work. Such recognition is often informal and spontaneous.
Studies have shown that peer recognition is one factor that motivates employees to go above and beyond. In fact, peer-to-peer recognition is believed to produce a double dopamine rush! When an employee is appreciated by a peer, they are much more likely to repeat the behavior that earned them the praise.
Peer recognition works well because peers work together every day and are aware of one another’s strengths, shortfalls and day-to-day hurdles. They are in a much better position to notice and understand the immediate effect of a colleague’s effort and contributions at work.
Benefits Of Peer-To-Peer Recognition
Peer recognition is a factor that high-performing organizations have in common. It doubles as both an individual and team recognition tool and has multiple benefits. Let’s look at a few of them in detail:
1. Improves Workplace Relationships
Peer-to-peer recognition allows employees to form meaningful connections with one another, improving workplace relationships. When employees get along well, communication, teamwork and collaboration improve. Organizations benefit from faster processes, better productivity and a unified workforce that strives toward shared goals.
2. Boosts Employee Confidence
Recognition for good work can do wonders to boost an individual’s confidence and self-esteem. Peer recognition lets an employee know that their efforts are valued and appreciated. They begin believing in themselves and their abilities and feel more positive about their contribution to the organization as a whole. Such employees are also more likely to take on a challenge, go the extra mile and consistently deliver quality work.
3. Increases Job Satisfaction
A recent survey found peer-to-peer recognition made 90% of employees more satisfied with their work. Peer recognition in the form of positive affirmations, a word of praise or even a small ‘thank you’ note helps employees discover a sense of pride, purpose and meaning in their work. As a result, job satisfaction increases.
Peer recognition fosters an inclusive workplace culture. When employees are happy, they thrive and the quality of their work automatically improves. Happier employees are also more likely to be loyal to an organization and stay on for a long time.
How To Implement Peer-To-Peer Recognition?
Whether used for individual or team recognition, peer-to-peer recognition is crucial for establishing a healthy work environment. A great organizational culture improves internal workflow and can attract and retain the best talent in the industry. But, how do you implement peer-to-peer recognition at work? Here are a few ideas:
- Employee celebrations:
One of the most common forms of peer recognition, this involves encouraging peers to gather together to celebrate an employee’s achievements, milestones or work anniversary
- Handwritten notes:
Handwritten notes with a personalized touch have survived the test of time to emerge as one of the best forms of peer recognition
- Publicized recognition:
Peers highlight individual or team achievements in a publicized space such as a wall of fame, social media platforms and/or team meetings
Many organizations opt to have a formal peer-to-peer recognition program in place to promote year-round recognition for good work. Such programs include easy-to-use tools such as specialized recognition or collaboration platforms where peers can post appreciation messages for one another, give a team member a shout-out and leave positive feedback.
Foster Long-Lasting Relationships
Whatever form it takes, employee recognition has the power to significantly boost an organization’s growth over the long term. It promotes an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect and camaraderie, where employees can speak without inhibition, freely partake in an exchange of ideas and motivate one another to deliver their best.
Harappa’s Establishing Trust course equips you with the tools to build and maintain trust-rich relationships by focusing on credibility and openness, honoring commitments and prioritizing the needs of your team. With frameworks such as The Trust Toolkit and the Three Pillars of Trust, you will learn to assess, score and map trustworthiness and rebuild trust with authenticity and empathy.
This collaborative teamwork course makes a case for transparency and having open streams of communication. You’ll gain valuable insight into understanding the trust factors individuals rely on, and identifying these factors will exponentially increase your productivity. Want to foster long-lasting relationships? Sign up for Harappa’s Establishing Trust course today!
Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as What are Business Development Skills, Types Of Rewards And Recognition For Employees, Advantages And Disadvantages Of MBO, and Role of Reverse Mentoring in creating better leaders and build strong professional networks.
