Summary
Here are 5 best practice tips for continuing recognition efforts in a time of economic stress, self-quarantines, and high anxiety.
As we all adjust to new circumstances behind the COVID-19 pandemic, many things are still up in the air. Entire companies suddenly have fully remote employees, shelter-in-place orders abound, the economy is teetering, and one can’t help but feel a bit isolated and run down by it all.
Recognition’s Role
We believe that reassuring remote employees, appreciating them, and staying connected with them on a personal level is more important than ever in our current situation, and it’s a role that recognition was made for. It speaks to the entire reason we recognize each other at work – to build a strong culture of support and compassion that can weather any storm.
During this period of uncertainty, we have been sought out by clients and organizations for our best practices when it comes to recognizing and appreciating a remote workforce, a topic we have been a trusted resource for over the years. The biggest question we get by far is “How do we ramp up remote recognition efforts when everything else is being cut back?”
5 Tips for Success
With special attention paid to current circumstances, here are 5 best practice tips for continuing recognition efforts in a time of economic stress, self-quarantines, and high anxiety:
- Send Recognition Emails and eCards –When we are in the office, we take it for granted that we can walk up to a coworker and thank them in person, but these simple acts of daily kindness are the all-important glue that keeps paying good energy forward. Digital recognition in the form of email, an internal eCard system, or HALO’s own free-to-use Recognition Notes service don’t require registration or additional costs and are the cornerstone for recognizing remote workforces.
- Give Managers Recognition and Guidance – Managers and their relationships with their teams are top influencers of employee satisfaction. However, managers are facing the same challenges as their teams and need to be called out for their double duty. Providing them with guidance and resources for keeping remote teams engaged, as well as making sure they get the recognition they deserve from the top, will give them more confidence to lead through adversity.
- Hold Recognition Roll Calls – Most likely if your workforce has gone remote you are holding some form of regular town-hall style team meetings online or otherwise. These are great opportunities to call out excellent work in front of peers and leadership. Holding a “recognition roll call” that highlights positive actions and outcomes is a wonderful way to keep appreciation top-of-mind, especially if you call out individual achievements and the specific challenges that were overcome.
- Give Tokens of Appreciation – Digital recognition is well-suited for the task of reaching a remote workforce but runs the risk of becoming impersonal if relied upon too heavily. A healthy variety of recognition channels is always a best practice for this reason. Tangible care packages and other physical tokens of appreciation can have a meaningful psychological and personal impact on morale that an eCard can’t quite achieve. When and if possible, balancing digital recognition with physical items creates a healthier recognition system overall.
- Leverage Existing Recognition Systems – If you already have a cloud-based recognition program in place, use it to your advantage to engage remote workers. Many of our clients have simply gone out of their way to generate more recognition companywide, created special award initiatives and sent them out as a show of solidarity, or are using their in-built social recognition features to stay in contact and comment on achievements. All are excellent options and should be leveraged wherever possible.
Here to Help
Remote employees and their companies are facing unprecedented challenges around the globe in addition to stressors and anxiety from isolating work situations. We hope we can help our clients and other organizations to the best of our abilities and expertise ensure their workforces are mentally focused, healthy, and supported as we all face uncertainty together. In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and each other.
