Recognition is fundamental to engagement and retention of top talent, and therefore the success of every company. A HBR study found that employees who reported that their managers were great at recognizing them were more than 40% more engaged than those with managers who were not. In addition, they were more confident, felt better informed, offered more discretionary effort, and were less likely to quit.
Most great managers want to recognize their people. The challenge, which has only been made more difficult in the remote and hybrid world, is finding meaningful ways to recognize them. This is why it is important for leaders to try out new employee recognition examples to see what resonates with their team.
A new technique to add to your management repertoire: reflective recognition, an inquiry-based approach where an individual or group is invited to reflect on and share what they are proud of and why. There are limitations to our typical approach to praise. We can only recognize what we see, observe, or learn about from others and our recognition focuses on what we appreciate, which is not always what others want to be appreciated for.
Many employees want to be acknowledged for all the work they are doing that no one sees – working long hours, fielding difficult customer calls, navigating complex technical issues, moving mountains to meet deadlines, and doing it all on top of their lives outside of work.
Some team members, no matter how much they accomplish or how much we recognize them, struggle to slow down long enough to celebrate their progress, often driving them to burnout. If we want to help our people stay present to their progress and make sure they feel recognized for the things we don't see, reflective recognition will help with both.
Reflective recognition involves three steps that appear as a simple conversation to the employee. Here’s an example of each step.
1. Remember to check-in
Empower your team members to share what they're proud of and why. This can happen during regular 1-on-1 check-ins - like on Candor - or casual encounters. Use simple prompts:
To make the process easier, you can even set up prompts or place these questions on your agenda (within Candor, you can set async agendas for regular check-ins) so your team can prepare in advance. Some individuals will share enthusiastically. Others might offer generic responses or hesitate to share. Alleviate concerns by explaining your motivation. Say you've learned about how managers often miss their team's daily efforts, and you want to understand more about their work.
2. Get deep and pay attention
People tend to downplay successes and magnify shortcomings. Help your team members delve into their achievements. Uncover the effort behind their accomplishments together.
When they mention overcoming a challenge, follow up with questions that encourage reflection on their actions.
Pay close attention to the obstacles overcome, sacrifices made, and challenges navigated.
3. Mirror it back
After your team shares, mirror back what you've heard. Sometimes, a simple acknowledgment suffices: "I didn't realize you'd overcome so many challenges. Thank you for sharing." Or: "That's impressive work. I appreciate you letting me know." Show you understand their efforts and want to amplify their accomplishments.
Reflective recognition empowers your team to share their sources of pride and the reasons behind them. Some individuals might not be used to talking about their wins, or don’t know the right avenue to amplify their achievements without coming across as ‘braggy.’ By building this into your one-on-ones and team meetings, you’re embedding recognition into your culture and giving your team a way of authentically sharing the highs and lows of their work life — which is a net positive for you, as a team, to double-click into the things you’re doing right and uncover areas you can improve.
While reflective recognition focuses on allowing employees to share their own accomplishments, it's also important to have a repertoire of recognition examples for different situations. Here are some employee recognition examples that can be integrated with the reflective recognition approach:
For top performers:"[Name], thank you for your hard work on [Project X]. Because of your skills and dedication, you've directly impacted the company's success. I'd love to hear more about what aspects of this project you're most proud of."
Recognizing a whole team:"A huge shout out to the creative team for building out a new look and feel for the company website. Reimagining our brand design couldn't have been easy. Could you share some of the challenges you overcame during this process?"
Ideas to recognize your own team member:"[Name], I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help on [Project Y] last week. Not everyone would be willing to stop what they are doing to help a colleague parse through a complicated contract. What motivated you to offer your assistance?"
Calling out amazing work from managers & team leaders:"From the entire team, thank you for being such an amazing leader. Your ability to keep the team's morale high even during the most difficult of times is inspirational. Could you share some strategies you've used to maintain team spirit?"
Celebrating work anniversaries:"Happy one year work anniversary, [Name]. It's hard to believe you've only been with [Company Name] for one year! You have contributed so much to the company. What accomplishment from this past year are you most proud of?"
Recognize employee achievements and professional development:"[Name], congratulations on earning your certificate in environmental and sustainability governance (ESG) reporting! We appreciate you taking time out of your daily responsibilities to help us become more environmentally sustainable. What aspects of this new knowledge are you most excited to apply to our company?"
Reward employees for going above and beyond:"Thank you for not only participating in our new mentorship program, but for offering to help lead the group's ongoing efforts! What inspired you to take on this additional responsibility?"
General employee appreciation ideas:"Thank you for offering a helping hand when you saw someone in need of assistance. Your positive attitude lifts everyone up. Could you share what motivates you to be so helpful to your colleagues?"
The above employee recognition examples are useless without having a solid employee recognition system in place. By adopting a set cadence for feedback and catch-ups, alongside a framework for communication — e.g. will you catch up over Zoom, do you want to use a purpose-built recognition tool — you turn appreciation into a regular part of work life, not just an occasional thing. Morale goes up, employees feel more connected to their work, and they're more likely to stick around.
This is why we built Candor. It's a tool for recognition create a positive atmosphere for remote teams, offering features like shoutouts, feedback, and polls. Candor focuses on building strong team cultures, helping companies create workplaces where people actually enjoy their jobs and want to contribute to growth. In today's job market, using a tool like Candor to structure your recognition efforts can really set your company apart. It's about creating an environment where employees feel valued and motivated, which ultimately leads to a stronger, more successful organization.By combining these recognition examples with the reflective recognition approach and a set process, managers can create a more comprehensive and personalized recognition strategy. This approach not only acknowledges employees' visible achievements but also uncovers and celebrates the unseen efforts and personal growth that contribute to their success.
Candor makes it easy to connect and have fun with your teammates, even while you’re remote. Use Candor to do feedback, shoutouts, check-ins, and more, all in one place.
Feel free to share questions or feedback with our team. We will be in touch within 1 business day.
