Why it is Important to Recognize Shop Floor Employees
Most leaders and companies do not realize how impactful recognition is in the workplace.
There are 3 reasons why that is:
- Unnecessary: Your hard labor is recognized and acknowledged in your salary.
- Too Expensive: Time and money are not essential expenses for the business.
- Top Performers are the Only Beneficiaries: The most common example of this is the “Employee of the Month” award.
The fact is that 21.5% of employees that do not feel recognized will pursue other employment opportunities within 3 months, whereas 12.4% remain because they have felt acknowledged in their workplace.
That is a 9% difference between those seeking new opportunities because they believe they are undervalued versus those with the opposite experience.
The Benefits of Recognition in the Workplace
How do we know that recognition has a positive impact in the workplace?
One of our clients committed to this approach, and the results worked to their advantage and their credit. They decided to acknowledge and recognize their team members in terms of their performance and their ability to support the team. The one thing they did not do, which I have shared in the past, was create a negative “winner takes all” mentality using Employee of the Month.
Avoid unconsciously telling your teams either they aim to be the best or will get nothing for their efforts.
You must create a recognition system that includes each employee, regardless of their stage in the business, and allows them to meet high-performance expectations. This client achieved this in the form of tangible recognition, often in the form of acknowledgment.
It allowed their team members to achieve a bronze, silver, or gold status if they could achieve multiple targets.
4 Ways to Recognize Performance for Shop Floor Employees
Tip Number 1: Recognize Performance Through Outcomes
You begin by understanding what defines good results. Reflect by asking, “What are good results regarding winning the day?” From there, you can assess, recognize, and evaluate those performance levels individually and as a team.
Tip Number 2: Recognize Behaviors
Recognizing behaviors can be assessed through:
- Attendance
- Punctuality
- Commitment
- Safety practices
- Teamwork
- Willingness to collaborate and assist other departments
Tip Number 3: Recognize Everyone Who Achieves a Threshold
When you set these high targets, you must ensure they are not too easy to achieve but are attainable for those who can rise to that challenge. The focus should be on everyone who can reach a certain performance threshold.
Tip Number 4: Recognize the Outcome of Multiple Behaviors, Not Just One
You must recognize that you do not only want people to focus on one outcome or one behavior; you want them to focus on a combination of behaviors. So, remember people who are achieving at different levels of expectation and also hitting multiple tiers.
We encourage you to experiment with these 4 suggestions and observe how it changes your group morale and attitude and positively impacts your operating results.
Recognition is essential for people, and it does not have to be monetary; it just needs to be specific about what they are doing to help you succeed.
Recognizing Further Development for Leaders
Register your leaders for our newly launched Front Line Leadership On Demand program and positively impact your overall success.
This course is an engaging mix of videos, light reading, activities, reflections, and quizzes to keep participants interested and focused while learning the skills needed to be a successful frontline leader. It includes downloadable content, including helpful visuals and templates, that participants can use on the job.
It begins with a conversation at uniquedevelopment.com, where we will set up a pilot program with your organization.
Based on that success, we can help you expand that over time and build on it to create leadership excellence to derive organizational excellence.
