What to do if your recognition program is failing.
You’ve done the hard work on your new employee recognition program.
Executives have approved the launch. You have built the framework and set the software up to deliver. You've added branding to suit your team. The data is loaded. Rewards are defined. All you need now is for employees to start giving our recognitions….
You download your first usage report….and whaaat?
No-one is using it!?
(Except a few early adopters who get behind every new initiative - you know who they are).
So….what now?
Don’t despair. Getting into the habit of recognising will likely take employees some time.
It may take a few nudges, a bit of extra effort, clever use of your software but good recognition habits will form. Nothing good comes without effort right?
Use these ideas to make sure your employee recognition culture is thriving. Your employees will soon be handing recognitions around on the daily.
Firstly, check these things:
Make sure your platform has automated messages turned on so it does the heavy lifting for you. If your software does not send registration emails, reminders and action based messages, look for software that does. No one has time to be sending out reminders manually.
Set up integrations into other business tools to make access and communication simple for your team:
Sharing posts with channels like Slack, Workplace and Teams broadcasts recognition in a channel that already has employee attention
Single Sign On removes access issues by creating secure, one-click sign-in to the recognition program
Capture attention with a recognition feed on your intranet
Lock in your communication plan so that recognition message are not lost in the myriad of other business messages:
Define any specific messages that need to be shared and how they will be shared
If you need input from leaders, brief them on what you need or make it easy for them. If you want a launch message from the top, ask for something from the CEO or even better, provide the copy for sign-off
Place visual messages promoting a culture of recognition around work spaces
Next, plan recognition on-boarding for news starters:
Check that your on-boarding awards are set-up so you engage new hires from day one.
Build registration into your week one process so new hires know that recognition is important to the business.
Set-up a module on your LMS to share why recognition is important to the company. Teams with great recognition culture always have a strong understanding of why it matters. Link your program to your LMS so it’s seamless to access.
Ask managers to review each employees activities with them while on probation. This acts as a reminder that it’s part of the culture and gives new starters a chance to ask questions.
Engage with the wider team:
Talk about the program at employee meetings or other suitable opportunities to keep it in focus and demonstrate recognition is important to the company:
Why the company wants to recognise employees for their efforts
How employees can get involved
What the expectations are
Perks and rewards that employees can receive
As the program matures, highlight recognition wins and great stories that are coming out of the program
Share program milestones like ‘we just hit 10,000 moments in the last six months! Wow!’.
Call out the program with messaging on employee payslips or other communication formats. The more employees are reminded about why you have a program, the more they will engage.
Share about perks and rewards being enjoyed. There is nothing that builds trust in the program more than testimonials from the team.
Encourage manager amplification:
Ask managers to set the example and recognise their team for everyday actions and extraordinary achievements. The program is designed to help them reach their goals so make sure they know the power of recognition and how it can help them get where they want to be.
Encourage managers to engage on the wall, celebrating moments as they happen so their team know recognition is not only important but being seen by those higher up.
Use metrics from the program in manager discussions. Ask them to do the same with their team. You can even make recognition part of a balanced scorecard to help your employees build their recognition fluency.
Lead by example:
Ask leaders to prove how important recognition is to the company by actively recognising behaviours as they happen. Their participation lets employees know that recognition is a priority.
Make sure leaders know that they set the example when it comes to great recognition habits. Typically, when leaders recognise regularly, others will follow and your recognition culture will grow.
Set an expectation for them to engage on the wall. Simply adding commentary to a moment highlights the behaviours they value. It also builds connections between leaders and their people.
Remind leaders to check quarterly insights to see how their division is performing, where they are missing opportunities and any standouts in their team.
If all else fails:
Consider a re-launch of the program. It’s not as dramatic as it sounds and with great software, it's not hard to do but might be the refresh you need to kick-start your recognition culture:
Get a project team together and ask for feedback. Make sure to include a cross-section of highly active and also inactive employees from across the business
Design changes that will have impact. Think about what you can add - service awards, update how rewards are earned, perks, ad-hoc awards to recognise big wins, life or career moments
Consider a new recognition identity – new name, new logo, new opportunities to re-engage?
Examine how your selected software delivers on your objectives. If it’s missing the mark or is inflexible, it might be time to look around at options. There is a lot of smart software on the market that makes managing a recognition program easy. That means there is no need to be stuck with something that does not work for you
Not all of these ideas will be right for you – and please don’t fall in the trap of trying to do them all! Pick the ideas that feel right and try them out, a few at a time.
Most importantly, don’t lose heart. It can be challenging to get any new program up and running. The extra time and effort will be worth it as you check the reports next month and see improvements.
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