Nearly half (47 per cent) of U.S. employees say they’d like to receive more recognition for their work, while 21 per cent say they’re never recognized for their efforts, according to a new survey by Eagle Hill Consulting.
The survey, which polled more than 1,300 employees, found when employees’ work is recognized, they’re more likely to go above and beyond their responsibilities (53 per cent), are more likely to stay with their organization (48 per cent) and are more likely to be more motivated to support their team (43 per cent).
A third (32 per cent) of respondents said recognition makes them feel motivated at work, slightly higher than career potential (29 per cent). The results showed recognition programs should be more frequent (38 per cent), more proactive (36 per cent), easier to provide (26 per cent) and unbiased (24 per cent).
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The top ways employees said they’d prefer recognition are cash or gifts (54 per cent), time off (34 per cent), an email or note (32 per cent), experience opportunities like tickets (22 per cent) and employee of the week/month programs (19 per cent).
More than a third (36 per cent) of workers said their employer has developed new ways for recognizing employees during the past year.
“Our research signals that employers need to double down on employee recognition programs,” said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting, in a press release. “Far too many employees are burnt out from their workload and say they aren’t recognized for their efforts. Failing to acknowledge workers is a recipe for subpar organizational performance and high attrition, the last thing employers need in a volatile economy.”
Read: Employee recognition has larger impact on engagement, productivity than salary: survey