Do you reward your employees' efforts?

Many employees do their jobs with monotony, they feel a lack of motivation, that their achievements aren't noticed and that they are just doing something to obtain a regular income. One way of lifting their spirits is by recognizing their small victories in curious and unexpected ways. What does this mean? We are not talking about annual prizes given to the team that has reached its sales goals or to the most charismatic leader, we are talking about small details that spark joy and propel them to keep on going.

To get a deeper understanding of the subject we spoke with Mayurlee Barrios, a psychologist with more than 10 years of experience, a specialist in selection processes, coaching, an organizational consultant and an expert in HR subsystems.

Based on your professional experience, how important do you think rewards in the work environment are?

Reward is tied to the psychological basis of behaviorism in which if you offer positive reinforcement thanks to some conduct, you will see positive results. When an organization uses rewards as part of their organizational culture, it gets a work environment fueled by motivation injected into each of its members.

Let's remember that reward is the capacity the organization has to value the contribution an employee's doing toward the fulfillment of the company's strategic goals, and as a result that creates:

• Dedicated employees with a sense of belonging.
• Aligned with the organization's goals.
• High levels of motivation.
• An impact on the employee's productivity.
• Healthy work environments.

Why do you think so many leaders forget or dismiss rewarding their employees' achievements?

Sometimes leaders can run into some difficulties, one of which is losing contact with reality, meaning that they dedicate themselves so much to the strategic aspect that they forget they're surrounded by humans in action that need for their achievements and efforts to be recognized. They lose sight of the main protagonists which are those who realize the strategies.

In the world of organizations we may also find an absence of leaders and the presence of bosses, who are the ones that enforce some will and push people like pawns, and whose interests are results and not recognition.

What are some changes that occur in the work environment when workers feel their work is recognized and valued?

Recognition generates happiness in employees and when you manage to have the people in your organization be happy, this is the result:

• Better interpersonal relationships, which creates a family work environment.
• More productive employees.
• Appropriate levels of communication.
• Minimizes absenteeism.
• 50% more creative employees.
• Lower turnover rates.
• More dedicated employees.
• Problem solving capacity.

Which reward strategies would you recommend leaders to implement in their organizations?

• Campaigns of e-mail marketing recognizing the achievements of our employees in front of the whole organization.
• Bulletin boards.
• Employee of the month.
• Effective transactions. Rewarding employees with free days after achieving some goal.
• Monthly celebrations for the goals achieved.
• One-to-one reunions with our employees.

Would you like to share some story that exemplifies the importance of recognition?

In a company I was a consultant on, they didn't have motivational strategies and had a conflictive work environment in which staff turnover was high. We started making substantial changes across the organization and one of the strategies used was adding employee recognition plans. Over the course of a year we were able to see how the levels of absenteeism and turnover diminished, we created a collaborative work environment and impacted the quality of the services offered to external clients. This way, we managed to verify that if we change from the inside, it helps our external processes.

Recognition is important because, beyond the reward, it reflects that each employee is valuable and, that each activity is key for the company. Making each worker feel special creates a good work environment, raises the employees’ self-esteem and motivates the team to increase productivity. Have you ever had your boss surprise you by recognizing one of your achievements? Think about how you'd feel if that happened.

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