Implementing an Employee Recognition Committee

Implementing an Employee Recognition CommitteeThe benefits of a happy workforce are compelling: improved retention, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism. A survey by the employee recognition consulting company, Globoforce®, indicates that happy employees are 85% more efficient and 10 times less likely to take sick leave. Globoforce also discovered that peer recognition is a powerful motivator with employees 107% more likely to identify themselves as highly engaged when they were able to recognize their peers for good work[1].

Many organizations establish Employee Recognition Committees to develop and manage recognition programs. Here are some tips to get one off the ground in your business or department with recommendations from Indiana State University[2]:

  • Determine Who Will Serve on the Committee – Include members from both management and staff to honor interests from both groups. Use the following ideas to select committee members:
    • Solicit for volunteers
    • Election by peers
    • Appointment by management

Important tip: Specify how long members serve on the committee so they understand their time commitment

  • Specify Objectives – Design your Employee Recognition Committee with the following guidelines:
    • Meets the needs of employees
    • Reinforces behaviors that benefit company goals
    • Honors the company’s mission statement and core values
    • Maintains clear standards so rewards are both meaningful and equitable
    • Determine Incentives – After the committee identifies the program objectives they can identify the criteria by which employees are eligible, evaluated, then recognized or rewarded.

This is the fun part of the task! Survey employees to find out what types of recognition are meaningful. Don’t just assume that a financial reward or public praise works for all people. Then, match those motivators with company offerings. For example, employees who wish to be recognized for skill development can send a signal to management that training opportunities are appreciated.

  • Monitor and Adjust – Once the program is underway, the committee should monitor results, solicit feedback and adjust the program as needed.

An Employee Recognition Committee’s final key responsibility is to communicate the program to both management and employees. A study produced by Bersin & Associates, a human resources consulting company, discovered that while 75% of companies surveyed have recognition programs, only 58% of employees surveyed think their companies do[3]. Both management and employees need to understand, accept and then use the program to gain the benefits it offers.

[1] http://go.globoforce.com/rs/globoforce/images/WP_Culture_Globoforce.pdf
[2] http://www.indstate.edu/humres/docs/GuideEmpRecognition7-25-11.docx
[3] https://www.bersin.com/News/Content.aspx?id=15543