The One Mistake to Avoid When Showing Appreciation

Sometimes, the smallest gestures leave the biggest mark, and it doesn’t take much - a quick conversation, a few specific words.
 
And the impact can be surprising, as long as it’s genuine.
 
When it is, recognition becomes one of the most powerful tools for boosting morale and engagement in the workplace.

Since it's a core practice that is essential for fostering employee engagement and cultivating a positive workplace culture.
 
Just avoid the common mistake of creating meaningless, ritualistic programs.
 
Like Employee of the Month, where the outcome is predictable because it rotates among teams for 'fairness.'
 
The result of which is disengaged, demoralized employees, the exact opposite of the intended outcome.
 
Because recognition has got to be genuine, and employees know when it’s not.
 
And organizations are better off doing nothing at all than implementing these empty initiatives.
 
Of course, recognize employees, but do it authentically - not through a ritualistic, meaningless practice.

It’s simple to do, and it costs nothing, although later, if you want, you can consider a recognition system of some kind.

But, for now, you just need a few minutes:

• Tell them immediately after they’ve done something you want to recognize.
• Be specific - saying “good job” is not enough; explain exactly why you appreciate them.
• Talk about the difference they made.
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Begin with one-on-one conversations, training your managers to focus on three key elements: immediacy, specificity and the difference the employee made.

Use Zoom to connect with remote employees and help alleviate potential feelings of isolation and disconnection.

If you later introduce public recognition, ensure everyone is comfortable and avoid empty gestures.

But, for now, start small, do it right and be consistent to see the difference it makes.