Shawnee Love   •  
July 22, 2011

In building an employee recognition plan, the first step is to figure out why we want to recognize people, because the answer will set the parameters for all the rest of the program.

Reasons why companies typically want to recognize employees are because recognition:

• encourages more of the same
• increases employee motivation
• enhances employee engagement
• demonstrates and reinforces what is important to the company as it relates to values, outcomes, competencies
• is typically more powerful (and less expensive) than monetary rewards
• sends the message that you value your employees
• builds morale
• creates a sense of community and “we’re in this together”
• pushes employees to stretch and strive

Why do you recognize your employees?