According to the most recent report by Aon on Employee engagement, over 30% of employees are disengaged from their jobs. This means that they show up for work, but either their minds are not there, or they outright cause disruption in the workplace. Aon also state that as little as an increase in 5% of employee engagement can increase bottom line by as much as 3%. That is significant, and that’s why companies invest millions to increase the stats in their favour. But are some of the simplest solutions overlooked?

5% Increase In Engagement =

3% Increase In Bottom Line!

One of the challenges that drives this employee disengagement is lack of recognition for the work that they do.

Most managers believe they do recognize their employees for their good work. This is done in the form of feedback in their monthly one on ones; bonuses; annual incentives, etc.

That as well and good, but it creates another obvious problem when it comes to recognition; how are managers going to know how many good things are done in a week, a month or a year? It’s almost impossible to track. So a lot of the good work being done is overlooked!

Wouldn’t it be great if we could give and receive this feedback in real time?

Imagine if your employees received real time recognition for their efforts!

All the extra little miles they are going for their clients, and their colleagues being recognized not only by management, but peers as well – in real time!

Jane just won a new client, or Peter just closed his tenth case for the day. When these real time examples are pushed to the rest of the team, via screens or mobile devices have two massive impacts on employee engagement:

• Dopamine kick:

Firstly, the employees receiving the real time feedback, get a kick out of the recognition. These examples of real time recognition are like a dopamine hit, they feel cool, and you want more – Kudos. 

• FOMO:

Secondly, to those who are not getting these hits feel inspired to do so. If Jane can do it, so can I! Game on! So not only does it provide motivation for those receiving real time recognition but inspires others to work harder and compete for theirs.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

But there is one little trick. You can’t have the same people receiving recognition all the time.

So to counter this, you need to ensure that you recognize various different leading indicators or KPI’s, so that everyone has something to aim for – in line with their strengths.

For example, if you were dealing with a support call center, rather than only rewarding the most amount of calls taken, reward your team with different areas that impact overall performance. Like the type of calls dealt with, or the amount of calls resolved with the first call.

Know Your Leading Indicators!

Figuring out these leading performance indicators or KPI’s also does something else that improves employee engagement… It empowers them to work to their strengths, and empowerment is also a massive part of employee engagement.

So by looking at introducing real time recognition into the workplace, you not only have a direct impact on motivation, but you are also empowering your team to “play” their way!