The Many Faces of Recognition: Understanding Its Importance in the Workplace

Recognition, the word that means so many different things to people. It only takes seconds scrolling through social media posts in a business setting to see someone post quotes or comments about the importance of recognition from their supervisor or to see the various ways companies show gratitude and recognition to their team members.

The word recognition simply means special notice or attention. Online, Google describes it as spotting a familiar face in a crowd who is someone you’ve met before. Spotting a familiar face may either make you want to connect or prompt you to stay away. In the workplace, recognition refers to how an organization shows its appreciation for an employee’s contribution. The workplace challenge can be a similar reaction, connect or avoid, all dependent on the relationship and each side’s feelings and ability for public acknowledgment.

How to Communicate Your Need for Workplace Recognition and Appreciation

Learning how you require and value workplace appreciation is an important part of feeling fulfilled in the workplace. Knowing how to communicate your need for recognition during an interview or throughout your employment is key to your fulfillment, and, yes, everyone needs some type of recognition, whether spoken, tangible, or a combination of both. Similar to a personal relationship where you might share things like, “I like it when you acknowledge that you are proud of me,” or, “It embarrasses me when you sing my praises in public,” the ability to communicate what builds you up and what you don’t care for will help set expectations in the relationship with your supervisor and possibly the business itself.

Understanding and Navigating Workplace Recognition Programs: Balancing Personal Preferences and Team Dynamics

Companies often have recognition programs in place, and one size does not necessarily fit all. Yet, as an employee, the ability to understand when it might not be your preferred means of recognition—supporting what might be important to other associates—could go a long way. Many companies have opt-out policies in place, yet opting out can do more damage than good to your workplace relationships if your only reason for doing so is that you don’t enjoy participating.

Three main types of recognition in the workplace are:

1. Leader/Manager-to-Peer Recognition
2. Peer-to-Peer Recognition
3. Performance Management

The way workplace recognition is shown is written, verbal, and monetary. This can be done formally, informally, privately, or in a group setting. A need (lack of) occurs when there is a perceived gap between a current and desired circumstance. How do you define your need and balance it with the programs a company administers for recognition?

Balancing Expectations and Reality: Navigating Appreciation and Communication in the Workplace

Often in coaching sessions, I hear from an employee that their supervisor or company does not appreciate all they do or pay them what they are worth. Further discovery will, many times, uncover that perception is not reality, or their desired circumstance may not be realistic. Individually, the same thing happens in relationships when a couple wants their significant other to give them more of something but does not want what they are receiving in other areas to change. Most of the time, it is a balance of time, money, and how communication is taking place.

You cannot ask your significant other to spend more time with you during the day if their current employment situation requires them to be distanced too far from you to accommodate your time—unless you consider a logistical change that works for both of you and take into consideration the overall household budget if income changes. The same is true for the workplace. You may want to personally show your supervisor the work you do daily. Your supervisor has other responsibilities which logistically and possibly relationally are not viable for them. You must decide if you can find another way to satisfy your relational need or make sure at the next company that daily one-on-one sessions are in place because your supervisor leads that way, and the role is structured like that within the organization.

Recognition within the workplace is typically a consideration when you are:

• at minimum, doing the job you were hired to do;
• meeting the deadlines associated with the work you do;
• doing the job with a positive attitude; and
• meeting your supervisor’s expectations for quality, specifications, detail, creativity, etc.

How your supervisor gives recognition and how you receive it correlates with your workplace recognition need(s), which are different for everyone and can be one or more of these: words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, and gifts. One or some of these may or may not be important to you.

Identify and Communicate Your Workplace Recognition Needs Based on DiSC Styles

Once you identify your workplace recognition need, you can then apply the need through communication in an interview to ensure you will be reporting to and working with people who fill your need when it comes to recognition.

Here are some needs that typically correlate to various DiSC styles:

D – Public congratulations for initiative and leadership skills along with providing them with the next challenge and recognition when that challenge is met.

i – Enthusiasm, affirmative words, and time with their teammates and supervisors to innovate or celebrate fill their recognition need.

S – Personalized gifts and quality time are important to help fill their workplace recognition need.

C – Listening to the detail they are providing, financial gifts, and sincere thank yous fill their workplace recognition needs.

Yes, you can be a combination of the above and have a blend of recognition needs.

Tailoring Recognition: Why One-Size-Fits-All Celebrations Don’t Work for Employee Appreciation

If you are a supervisor who likes to reward with a company celebration to cover recognition and you think one size fits all, think again! This may be someone who needs a fun, lively spot but with a quiet corner, printed employee acknowledgment, and personalized giveaway—a cash bonus and one-on-one time with this direct report may be a calculated order. The saying “you can’t please everyone all of the time” is a good one, for sure. But ensuring you cover the one vying for your attention and “take notice” is important so you don’t have a resignation following the party.

To Recognizing the Right Recognition for You and Others,

Suzanne Breistol