25th January, 2022 • 3 min

Written by admin
21st July, 2020 • 3 min
“Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated” ~ Robert McNamara
82% of employees feel they don’t receive enough recognition. In 2019 XpertHR found that “being recognised for the work I do” was the most important motivator, even higher than a pay rise.
The benefits are huge a more engaged workforce leads to:
Do you recognise your team enough? And do you recognise them in a way that motivates them to achieve more?
It is easy, when striving to give more recognition, to fall into the one-size-fits-all trap of recognising everyone in the same way, for example giving everyone an award for their hard work. What we need to be conscious of is recognising our team in different ways depending on their language of recognition.
Our brain is more similar to our heart than we realise. Our hearts seek love, and as Chapman shares there are “five love languages”, these are: Words of affirmation, Acts of service, Receiving gifts, Quality time and Touch.
The language of love can be translated into the language of recognition. So, start by working out how each person in your team likes to be recognised. Are they motivated by words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time or appropriate touch? Find out more about what these are below.
How to recognise each person’s language
Once you have worked out their language of recognition, spend time showing your appreciation in their language.
What does each language look like and how can you recognise your team?
1. If they like to be recognised by ‘Words’
2. If they like ‘Acts of service’
3. If they like ‘Receiving gifts’
4. If they like ‘Quality time’
5. If they like ‘Touch’
At the moment you can’t give a high five or go and sit with them for an afternoon in the office, so instead:
“An employee’s motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.” ~ Dr. Bob Nelson
Next time you want to recognise someone in your team, ask yourself: what is their language of recognition? Tailor your approach and reap the benefits of a more engaged team.
Get in touch with the Higson team to learn more about the power of recognition and other ways you can engage and motivate your team.