Stephen Covey is quoted as saying, “You have to water the flowers you want to grow.” Covey wasn’t referring to gardening but rather to employees.

“There’s a big difference between getting people to come to work and getting them to do their best work.” says Bob Nelson, the unofficial founder of Employee Appreciation
Day.

Studies by Gallup illustrate that recognition is highly correlated to improved employee engagement with both the employee’s work and the organization.

In contrast, business units within organizations with higher-than-average levels of engagement enjoy higher productivity, lower turnover, increased profitability, and
increased customer satisfaction.

According to research by Willis Towers Watson, organizations that have a “culture of recognition” have employees who report they are:

*Five times more likely to feel valued,

*Six times more likely to invest in the company,

*Seven times more likely to stay with the company, and

*Eleven times more likely to feel completely committed in
their jobs.

HR POINTER:

There can be a disconnect between the type of appreciation employees want and what their managers think they want.

Managers often rank promotions and cash bonuses as the two most effective ways of recognizing employee accomplishments. However, workers say they prefer an in-person thank-you or having a job well done reported to senior management.