Revealed: The secret to showing your employees that they’re valued

How do your employees know they’re valued? Waiting to show appreciation until end of year reviews might be too late, with our research showing consistent and honest feedback is key to driving workplace engagement.

Growing numbers are turning to Google^* to find ways of improving workplace satisfaction. Here’s what we found:

• “Employee motivation and engagement strategies” searches increased fivefold
• “Employee engagement pulse survey” searches quadrupled
• “Satisfaction at workplace” searches tripled

Erika Wormald, Head of Reward at Bupa UK, explains how business owners can help improve engagement through simple and cost-effective employee recognition programmes.

“Asking for feedback from employees is an important way to show that their views matter and that you value them working with you,” Erika explains.

According to Microsoft Viva Glint (PDF, 2.2MB), how engaged employees are can be directly related to your company’s performance:

• Highly engaged employees are twelve times less likely to leave their company in the next twelve months, compared to low-engaged employees.¹
• Engaged organisations perform twice as well financially, when compared to low engaged employees.²

“Lots of companies use surveys to gauge how their employees are feeling – but they can offer so much more. In addition to highlighting easy-to-implement changes, the outputs of surveys can also inform long-term strategies to increase employee engagement and therefore company performance. It’s all about making the most of the data that’s in front of you.”

What is employee recognition?

Over the last year, UK searches for this term have increased fivefold

Employee recognition incorporates the varied ways your company takes the time to recognise and appreciate the ways staff make positive contributions in the workplace. Recognition doesn’t necessarily need to involve financial reward; it can be a simple gesture like acknowledging employees for their work or their contribution on a project.

Why is recognition important?

As a species, we’re hardwired to seek recognition starting from a young age. As we develop and learn new things, craving approval from our parents and peers becomes second nature – and it doesn’t stop when we reach working age.

Research shows that when employees consider themselves to have an equal chance of receiving recognition amongst their peers, they’re twice as likely to go above and beyond their regular duties.³ The same study found that recognition is the single most important driver of good work.⁴

This reinforces how important it is to offer praise when it’s due and not to save it until end of year reviews.

How to recognise team achievements

No matter how big or small, celebrating employee achievements can go a long way to increasing their sense of purpose, along with your company’s overall morale. Naturally, some achievements may be easier to recognise than others, for example, employees who have clear metrics and KPIs associated with their performance. However, it’s just as important to recognise successes that may not be quite as obvious.

• 1. Ask your team what they’re proud of
  
  Inviting staff at all levels to share work they’re proud of is a great way for them to raise the profile of their contribution to business success. It also gives you the opportunity to recognise that work and let them know that it’s valued.
  This could be done as part of team meetings, as long as everyone has an equal chance to share their achievements.


• 2. Write a team appreciation note
  
  Some employees may prefer to receive a physical card or an email, especially if they’re on the introverted side. But this is also something that all employees can keep and reflect on in the future.
  Be genuine and transparent in your message so your team understands exactly why their work is valued. If a card is going to a number of people, mention everyone involved by name, so no one doubts that their work has been noticed and appreciated.⁵


• 3. Post a staff shout-out
  
  Use internal communications, such as a post on your intranet or group emails to share news about staff achievements. This allows you to recognise employee achievements immediately and will be visible to other employees within the team and wider business.⁶


• 4. Host awards for staff
  
  Whether they’re formal or funny, taking time to publicly recognise the efforts from your employees can go a huge way towards boosting individual and team morale. Research shows that recognition awards can help boost intrinsic motivation and performance, as well as your ability to retain talent. ⁷
  And recognition doesn’t have to be financial - research shows that symbolic rewards – like thank you notes – can be just as effective. ⁸


• 5. Think about when to make impact
  
  The time you share feedback can also affect how well it’s received by employees⁹. Employee recognition can boost team motivation, but if it’s timed correctly, it can enhance company performance, too.
  For instance, if last quarter’s performance fell short of expectations, think about sharing positive feedback at the beginning of the new quarter to inspire your team when they need it most. If a team has finished an important project, letting them know soon after that you recognise and value their contribution can motivate them for the future.

How to write an appreciation note to colleagues

Whether you’re looking to deliver it in person or via a note, finding the right words to express your appreciation isn’t always easy, so here are some tips to start a thank you message to colleagues.

• Be positive
  
  Use positive language to show your employees exactly why you’re proud of them and their actions, using words like ‘talented’ and ‘valued’.


• Highlight specifics
  
  Don’t be vague about your praise. Whilst you may think that saying something along the lines of “thank you for all your support, this year” will work well, it’s much better to point out their specific actions, for example, their research into a certain project or the way they led their team through challenging times.
  Digging into the details of how your team members have made a difference shows that you’ve truly noted their hard work and it also serves to reinforce their good behaviour.


• Reinforce your gratitude
  
  Whenever you’re pointing out specific behaviours, always make sure you reference your appreciation. For example, “I was so thankful that [employee name] helped me gather the research for…” or “…we managed to submit before the deadline, thanks to [employee name] going the extra mile”.


• Be sincere and be accurate
  
  It’s important to be genuine with your thank you’s and take the time to do them justice. This means double-checking notes to ensure everything is correct – including spelling, and specifics of events.


• Recognise where further help may be needed
  
  Showing your appreciation can go a long way to helping your employee’s self-esteem, but if you notice that your words of encouragement aren’t having the impact you were hoping, it may be a sign that they’re struggling with factors outside of work.

Be sure to regularly reinforce the value of any employee benefits your staff have access to, like employee assistance programmes (EAP) and other wellbeing services.

*Google Keyword Planner research, UK, December 2022 – January 2024