Keeping up praise in the pandemic is still just as important today as it was 16 months ago, perhaps even more so as the novelty of remote working continues to wear off.
Many employees have now been working from home for more than a year, with limited interaction with the rest of the workforce and little, if no, in-person contact. With some having grown tired of online meetings, lunches and team bonding exercises, keeping up spirits virtually can be tough. But receiving recognition at work can do wonders for staff motivation, engagement and wellbeing.
According to a new study, 38% of employees receive praise from their line manager at least once a week, but the same number said they rarely or never did. In addition, 15% reported that they never get any recognition at work.
Following its poll of 1,000 workers, performance management system Appraisd warned that these staff members are probably feeling unappreciated and demotivated, which could lead to them seeking employment elsewhere.
While the challenge of regularly showing appreciation and recognition to employees remotely might be perceived by managers as being greater than when in a physical workplace, that needn’t be the case – they just need to be more creative about how they do it.
For example, another story we reported earlier this week highlighted an employer, TransUnion, that was giving its 700 UK workers Friday afternoons off to focus on their wellbeing and personal development.
The global insights, information and credit reference agency introduced its ‘Flexible Fridays’ policy for the months of July and August in recognition of the fact that employees needed some time out following the effects of the pandemic.
Employees value praise and recognition and this doesn’t always have to be in the form of a financial reward; sometimes a good old fashioned ‘thank you’ is all that’s required. Employers that want to retain their top talent should put plans in place to ensure the hard work of their workforce does not go unrecognised.
Kavitha Sivasubramaniam
Editor
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