“The Power of Post-Recession Recognition”

I’m honored to have an article I wrote included in last month’s issue of Workspan magazine: "The Power of Post-Recession Recognition." Here’s a key excerpt:

“The survey showed 45% of respondents from organizations that had a recognition program before the recession said investment in recognition had decreased since the start of the downturn. Organizations that decreased spending on their programs saw significant negative impacts from their actions, including decreased employee engagement (59%). After experiencing such impacts, 42% of organizations that cut spending during the downturn now say they plan to increase spending in 2010. …

“Looking ahead, the respondents who did not have a recognition program before the start of the recession are considering starting one within the next year, most notably focused on employee engagement, making the case that ignoring employee recognition in a downturn is a hard lesson learned. Furthermore, perhaps keeping in mind some of the questionable business practices that hurt companies at the beginning of the recession, many respondents indicated values-based recognition will be a clear priority. The idea behind values-based recognition is ensuring that employees display the right behaviors in achieving company goals. Reinforcing an organization’s beliefs will also help businesses reinforce their employer brand, which will benefit them as they work to retain employees and attract new talent.”

Click through for a full analysis of the results of our survey and the six recommendations to properly calibrate strategic employee recognition programs for the economic realities of today.