Want to increase employee engagement?
Start recognising the small wins. When it comes to connection and engagement in the workplace, recognition is an invaluable tool.
Celebrating successes is not only a great way to show appreciation for the hard work of your colleagues, but it can also help boost morale and encourage everyone to strive for excellence. Recognition helps build relationships between colleagues by creating a sense of appreciation and respect – something that can often be overlooked in our busy work lives. It also encourages employees to reach their full potential as they strive for acknowledgement from their peers.
“Small wins have a transformational power. Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion to favour another small win and another small win until the combination of these small wins lead to larger and greater accomplishments.” Organisational theorist and psychologist Karl Weick, Bassiri
Imagine you’re hiking up a big mountain. After a few hours the mountain peak is still in the distance and you may feel tired and it’s like you have made no progress. But then, as you catch your breath, and turn around. Now, you see you’ve actually traveled quite a bit on your journey. It’s often the encouragement you need to get to the top.
In work we often feel exhausted, burnt out, and overwhelmed because our goals still seem so far in front of us. When we celebrate success as a team or organisation, we reinforce the idea that our efforts are valued and appreciated. Recognition helps build trust among co-workers and creates a positive working environment where everyone feels motivated to do their best work. Recognition has been proven to improve morale, boost productivity levels, increase job satisfaction, and reduce turnover rates, which are essential in fostering a healthy working environment.
Celebrating success doesn’t have to be complicated – even something as simple as recognising individual contributions in team meetings or sending out an email with words of encouragement can make all the difference!
At its core, recognition is about showing gratitude towards those around us who have exceeded expectations, something we should all take part in more regularly if we want our workplaces to run smoother. Recognising your colleagues’ efforts will make them feel appreciated and strengthen connections between teams – ensuring everybody stays connected and engaged at work.
