The world of work is about much more than money. Of course, financial incentives can be helpful, but they are not the only way to show your employees that they matter to you. In fact, some studies have shown that non-monetary recognition can be better for your business culture and increase the likelihood of employees going the extra mile.
According to this study expressions of gratitude (not necessarily monetary) can build morale and make your staff more likely to go the extra mile for one another. Another study shows that just an expression of gratitude can be enough if you are looking to give your employees a boost.
What are the Best Non-Monetary Ways to Recognize Performance Remotely?
So, what are the best ways to recognize performance in this modern world of work, where shared offices have become less common and many people are now having to perform most of their roles remotely?
Send out Personalised Tangible Gifts
Physical, tangible items can be one of the best ways for your company to show their employees that you’re thinking about them. For instance, you could send personalized apparel with their name on it, as well as the company’s name. This helps to build a culture and a feeling of identity. Besides, on the other hand, there are great benefits of uniform branding for companies.
Workstation Support
Show your employees that you want to support them however you can, and this includes getting a quality workstation set up in their houses. If an employee is working remotely, why not invest in giving them the proper tools to do so? A good laptop, even a desk, and a chair. You may want to discuss what someone needs to do their job, and as an employer, you should really take responsibility for this.
Virtual Success Celebration
According to a client employee satisfaction survey, 55% of respondents said that recognition and attention from their leader would make them feel cared for and appreciated at work.
Why not consider organising a virtual success celebration? This is a way to show your employees that you appreciate them. Recognize those who have made significant contributions to your team. Discuss their successes and make them known publicly.
Showcase their success stories through a series of video interviews and social media shout-outs. You might include a slideshow presenting statistics on how this employee stood out.
Provide Flexibility at Work and Extra Time Off
The world of work is changing all the time, and this usually allows both employer and employee to be much more flexible. You can provide your employees with time off, or just extra flexibility. By giving them the chance to work at convenient times, you’re showing a lot of faith.
It also increases motivation and productivity in the long run since your workers may better plan their schedules to fit their personal lives and create a better work-life balance. According to Gartner’s research, 43 percent of remote employees believe that flexibility in working hours was the most important aspect in increasing their productivity in 2021.
Employees appreciate having time to go and pick up the kids from school or take a half-day off if needed. Not every employer can offer this. Of course, if you employ people who have to be in meetings at a certain time you can’t have them leaving whenever they see fit. If your company’s workload is pretty flexible, then you can pass on this flexibility to employees.
Allowing your staff a Friday off will provide them with a long weekend and allow them to recharge for the next week. Workers who work from home are frequently exhausted. A long weekend will give them time to let off steam and spend more time with their families.
Online Professional Development Courses
Offering courses online, and even rewards for completing them is a good idea for everyone. It helps people to develop. If you pay for the course it is usually a worthy investment. Courses tend to improve a workforce and their abilities, too.
You can add more autonomy to the process. Employees enjoy choosing what direction their career goes in and what skills they can learn.
Some companies even give staff the chance to learn about other things. Learning soft skills can actually be really transferable. Even something that doesn’t seem relevant might help your team to improve.
Establish Social Media Currency
Does your workplace have a social media platform? Social “currency” can be a good way to let your employees reward one another and the work they are carrying out. If you are trying to see all of the good work all of your team members do, and reward it, you’ll miss something. This way, managers, supervisors, and colleagues can all reward one another and thank one another. This type of feedback can give a great incentive and breed company culture.
Subscription Streaming Services
Why not consider offering rewards like a subscription streaming service? You can save your employees money by doing so. This is one of those annoying extra costs that a good employer might take on instead.
Depending on which streaming service, you might even be able to get a good deal on a bulk or ‘team’ membership.
Online One-on-One Feedback
People thrive on feedback. In the world of employment, you need guidance. Studies show that employees are more responsive after well-thought-out feedback.
You can talk to your employees and give them the feedback they need. Make sure you give a balanced view. Don’t use this as a way to point out errors time and time again. Instead, give your employees feedback about what they do well.
With a remote workforce, some people might start to feel isolated. You can take steps to avoid this, by scheduling regular check-ins. This should include a way to praise employees who are doing brilliant things.
Conclusion
Salary is important. Your employees should be rewarded for the work they are doing, but there are other ways to do this alongside paying them well. All of the methods in this guide are ways to incentivize employees and give them a chance to buy into what you are trying to do as a company. A culture without recognizing good work will almost definitely drive employees and talent away.
