Recognition: Publicly applauding the efforts, achievements and personalities of your team members in a timely manner.
Recognition is undeniably the most cost-effective method to motivate team members. Recognition creates a sense of belonging and value. Team members that feel “part of” as opposed “apart from” are more motivated to be more productive and thus support profit generating activities. However, recognition is not a one and done activity on the part of leadership. A well thought-out and implemented recognition strategy is crucial for building a culture of belonging, engaging team members in the recognition process, and ensuring consistency. Recognition strategies and programs will include:
· What recognition will be given?
· Who will give team member recognition?
· When will recognition be given?
What does your organization want to encourage? Efficient customer service response time? Recognizing the team member with the best response time at weekly team meetings can be a zero-cost option to recognize and encourage quicker response times. Do you want to promote your organization’s values and mission? Recognizing team members that support your values and mission, not only shows that appreciation, but also presents an opportunity to demonstrate to others how to uphold the company’s values and mission.
Leaders are typically responsible for giving recognition. However, a sense of belonging is cultivated not just by leaders, but by the entire organization, which includes colleagues. How would your organizational culture transform if team members celebrated each other? Recognition can enhance relationships not only among those who work together regularly but also among those who do not commonly interact. Organizations that foster cultures of recognition tend to also foster environments of respect and care. Improved relationships among team members lead to a more productive workforce.
To achieve results, recognition has to be done regularly and consistently. What is most appropriate for your organization will depend on your current state and future aspirations. Leaders must be committed to recognition as a strategy, when times get busy or tough, is not the time to give up on recognition, rather to lean into recognition. Recognition should not be reserved for stressful times or special occasions. Organizations and leaders can start from their current position and scale up. How often does the entire company communicate or hold meetings? Weekly, monthly, annually? What about departments? These are fantastic opportunities to launch and begin recognizing team members. How does your organization communicate? Slack, Teams, Intranet, Employee landing page? These are wonderful platforms to recognize team member efforts, achievements and personalities.
Development: Collaboration between employer and team member to improve team member’s knowledge, skills and abilities.
Development programs play a pivotal role in motivating team members to be more productive and committed to their organizations. When employers invest in their team's growth through development opportunities, they send a powerful message that they value and believe in their team member’s potential. This investment not only enhances the team member’s skills and abilities but also fosters a sense of loyalty and dedication to the organization. Team members who feel supported in their professional growth are more likely to take initiative, apply new skills to their work, and strive for excellence, leading to productive and profit supporting workforce
Designing a development strategy that aligns with budget constraints can present numerous challenges. However, leveraging current organizational tools and talent can significantly reduce the costs typically associated with development programs. As with any strategy, initiative, or program, leadership buy-in is imperative along with proper planning, execution, and review.
Successful development programs should aim to provide team members with opportunities that are of interest to them. Employee surveys, focus groups or informal conversations can all give insight into what opportunities would be of the greatest interest to team members.
Learning and development programs and platforms are readily available for purchase online. Prices points on these products can vary greatly. Taking the time to thoroughly evaluate these options to ensure they are the right fit for your organization and budget.
Reviewing your current software and programs may reveal learning and development resources that are already available within of your payroll or HR management software. While these options may not offer a fully customizable solution, they are an excellent starting point. Many of these options offer additional products that can be added as needed.
Mentoring programs and skill-sharing initiatives utilize the existing talent within your organization and typically involve minimal overhead. Establishing clear expectations for both mentors and mentees can ensure optimal outcomes while monitoring learning and development. These programs also foster relationships among team members with different skills, tenure, and levels, thereby strengthening organizational culture.
Recognition and development should be accessible to any organization committed to providing these opportunities to their team members. Growing, new, or budget-conscious organizations do not need to be excluded from these essential components of the employee experience. Leaders need not tackle this alone; if you have experienced HR personnel, consult them. If you lack HR personnel or require a second opinion, consider hiring an HR consultant with expertise in strategy and implementation. Dunedin HR Solutions collaborates with small and mid-sized organizations, and we would be delighted to discuss your specific organizational needs.
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