Trust, the foundation of any successful workplace, is often discussed but rarely quantified. However, data from AWI reveals a clear correlation between employee trust in managers and their willingness to engage in difficult conversations. This highlights the critical role of leadership in fostering open dialogue.
Hannah Yardley, Chief People and Culture Officer at Achievers, identifies four key behaviors – contact, recognition, coaching, and professional development – as essential for building trust. While HR can provide the necessary training and support, the onus is on managers to implement these behaviors. The good news is that even small steps can yield significant results. Focusing on just one of these areas can dramatically improve employee engagement and encourage open communication.
“Managers do not need to change their management styles overnight, in fact, focusing on just one of these key areas can double the likelihood an employee would recommend their manager and encourage employees to be more open and honest with their managers,” Yardley shared with HR Daily Advisor.
With world events, this year’s election and other outside influences that may make their way into the workplace, how can company leaders create a safe space for respectful dialogue across generations and demographics?
HY: These are difficult conversations to navigate in public or team settings, so leaders should start by focusing on their individual team members and create opportunities for them to talk about how current events may be affecting their personal lives. It’s not about being an expert on every issue, but about using leadership skills to actively listen.
Once employees feel comfortable having hard conversations on world events, mental health, performance challenges and more, leaders must meet this open dialogue with vulnerability and compassion. This will reinforce the notion that there is room for these tough and authentic conversations in the workplace.
From top leaders to entry-level employees – how can recognition help foster a culture of belonging and psychological safety for all employees?
HY: Recognition is an essential factor in establishing a sense of belonging and psychological safety for all employees. Whether you are a top-level executive or an entry-level employee, a comprehensive recognition program that acknowledges achievements, values diversity and appreciates each employee’s contributions can strengthen feelings of belonging and inclusion.
Our research has shown frequent and meaningful recognition has a significant impact on building trust and connection. Employees who receive at least monthly recognition from their managers are 2.5 times more likely to feel a sense of belonging and three times more likely to trust their manager.
Yet, recognition extends beyond managers. Authentic and frequent peer-to-peer recognition has proven to be effective in enhancing company culture and connectivity. According to AWI research, employees who receive monthly recognition from their peers are more likely to feel a sense of belonging and trust at their company. They are also more likely to feel connected to their coworkers and get along with most of the people they work with. Thus, both HR leaders and managers should encourage peer-to-peer recognition in addition to frequent manager recognition to help further boost trust and belonging at their organizations.
However, sometimes it’s easier said than done. We know that 60% of HR leaders say their recognition strategies aren’t driving measurable business results. To help these leaders adjust their strategies so recognition works its magic and drives belonging and psychological safety, these companies should look at what top recognition programs have in common. When looking at the 40% of companies that say their recognition programs do drive results, AWI found that their differentiators fall into four main buckets:
- They rely on high quantity, high quality, low-monetary recognition.
- Their programs integrate with other tools and are accessible in their employees’ flow of work.
- They don’t see recognition as a one-time thing, but rather, they constantly promote it.
- They measure specific business results beyond program usage.
How can organizations ensure that recognition efforts are genuine and meaningful to employees?
HY: Meaningful recognition is more than just a simple “thank you” program. It needs to be specific, personal and impact oriented. Company leaders have the responsibility to make sure that they are reinforcing the right actions, and that recognition is both strategic and intentional. A company that has a well-aligned and strategic recognition program ensures employees feel seen and valued for their important work, also leading to high performance, better morale and increased business results.
AWI recommends aiming for at least one recognition per month for each employee. But it’s important to remember that for recognition to be meaningful, it must be personalized and acknowledge the impact of the employee’s behavior or win. Often, an employee may be recognized for an action that positively impacted a specific project, but companies must encourage workers to also give praise for behaviors that align with their values. For example, if someone consistently takes an hour lunch break at a company that values wellness and work-life balance, their manager should praise them for their commitment to stepping away from their computer.
Personalizing recognition means offering praise in a way that fits the employee’s preference. In terms of monetary recognition, platforms that offer many ways employees can redeem points outperform those with limited reward catalog. Why? Because one worker may want to cash in on a cool experience whereas another may opt for charitable donations as their meaningful recognition of choice. Gaining feedback from employees can also help tailor social recognition to specific workers. For instance, asking for employee feedback on recognition provides an outlet for employees to share if they prefer private recognition (i.e. hand-written notes) over public kudos (for example, shoutouts on a standing team call).How can organizations measure the impact of recognition programs?
HY: Recognition’s impact is easily measurable when it’s aligned with other people initiatives, such as: employee learning and development, employee engagement, DEI and more. The easiest way to gain valuable insights into recognition’s impact on these various areas across the organization is by tapping into innovative integrations between human capital management (HCM) platforms and recognition tools. By pulling recognition data into HCM platforms, HR leaders now have access to ‘praise profiles.’ These profiles provide a real-time snapshot of an employee’s performance by aggregating all the recognition an employee has received from their managers and peers over time. This gives businesses greater visibility into which employees are engaged and happy, which teams may be underperforming, which managers aren’t adhering to recognition best practices, etc.
These unparalleled real-time insights into employee recognition trends will prove invaluable in several use cases, but two immediately come to mind:
DEI – Women consistently receive less recognition than men – but HR leaders likely don’t notice these inequities because they aren’t integrating recognition and HCM. An average of 42% of HR leaders say they align DEI and recognition functions at all. This is a problem. Praise profiles help close gaps by empowering HR leaders to glean insights on which segments of their employee populations are getting overlooked.
Turnover Risk – Employees who receive frequent recognition are more likely to be engaged, committed to their jobs and feel a sense of belonging at work. On the flip end, employees who do not receive ample recognition are more likely to be unhappy and motivated to job hunt. Examining praise profiles can help identify any turnover risk in an organization and ensure no one’s hard work goes unnoticed. Right now, just one-quarter of HR leaders align turnover risk and recognition, but the dawn of praise profiles will likely close this gap soon.