“Take time to appreciate employees and they will reciprocate in a thousand ways.”
Dr. Bob Nelson
Why Does It Matter?
Simply put, employee appreciation is an effort we put into recognizing our employee’s direct and indirect contributions to the organization. It can be as simple as a thank you or continuing to engage with your employees on a regular basis. At Gilbane, we know that our people are our most important resource, and we want to make sure they know they are appreciated. Now more than ever in this tight labor market, the ways in which we demonstrate how much we value our employees are crucial. Recognition ties directly to a positive company culture where people satisfied with their jobs are willing to go above and beyond, are engaged with what’s going on within the organization and think more innovatively resulting in higher performance and success.
Since childhood, we’ve longed for approval from our parents, teachers, and peers. This remains true as we grow up, enter the workplace, and advance in our careers. Employee recognition matters and helps us to:
Retain top talent
It’s a current challenge that we know all too well in today’s workplace. According to a recent poll by Gallup, 75% of those that are actively disengaged are seeking new employment opportunities, feeling that there is a lack of opportunities for development at their current workplace (Gallup, 2022). We are all seeking ways to retain our talented employees. Recognition starts with listening to what employees have to say, then valuing their ideas and opinions, finding ways to consider and implement new ideas, and finally taking notice of accomplishments. Recognition strengthens the bond between company and employee and increases the likelihood that they’ll stay.
Boost employee morale and engagement
According to Quantum Workplace’s 2020 Employee Engagement Trends Report, which includes research trends from Best Places to Work data of more than half a million employees, recognition is directly connected to employee engagement in the workplace and is in fact one of the top drivers. “When employees believe they will be recognized, they are 2.7x more likely to be highly engaged.” (Quantum Workplace, 2020).
Encourage high performance in individuals and teams
When employees are recognized and rewarded for their contributions to projects and initiatives it makes them want to work just as hard on the next one. It encourages individuals and teams to utilize innovative thinking and elevates performance resulting in overall company success.
Making Recognition a Part of Our Culture
When an employee pours themselves into a project and experiences a successful outcome there is an uplifting feeling in that accomplishment, but it feels even better when others notice and recognize your work. That’s the power of employee recognition. It’s important that we continue to evaluate new ways to foster a culture of continuous recognition and celebration for our people who are working hard every day to contribute to our company’s success.
Because employee appreciation is bigger than a single day—we have a great internal program called “BEAMS” that we use all year round to recognize our people and celebrate successes. The program is open to all levels of employees to give and receive recognition. Employees earn points for BEAMS they received and can use those points to redeem merchandise from an online shop or gift cards. Simply saying “thank you” can have an enormous impact on your employees, boosting everything from productivity to retention to engagement.
To All of Our Employees
On behalf of the entire leadership team, thank YOU for all that you do to help build our success at Gilbane. We appreciate your commitment and constant dedication to excellence. Each one of you is what makes our company a great place to work.
2 Replies to “Why Employee Recognition Matters”
Raghuvaran Chakkravarthy
Thank you for sharing Larissa. Saying “THANK YOU” helps our workforce savor positive experiences, cope with stress, and build relationships. THANK YOU is more than a word; it will go a long way in our journey, and we should recognize our employee’s efforts every time we have a chance in our workplace. Because we ”CARE” and we are all one ”FAMILY.”
AFOLABI ADESANYA
Very appropriate for our Offutt Airforce Base RWY Repairs Weekly Superintendent/QA/QC Meeting [June 6th, 2022], the below was my “Gilbane Cares Moment” for the Offutt project team:
Today June 6th, 2022 starts the Gilbane employee’s appreciation week which is a branch in our company culture of “GILBANE CARES.” This is the week we reignite and appreciate all employees for jobs well done and re-evaluate one of the most common reasons people take sick days due to stress, depression, and anxiety. Long-term, unresolved stress can manifest itself as burnout, and prevent us from attending to work. We all know that our industry is particularly vulnerable to mental health issues, as the environment contains many occupational stressors such as: high production pressures, dangerous work, complex decision-making and ‘not feeling tough enough’, all of which can contribute to poor mental health. The way work is structured through long supply chains involving transient work, insecure temporary contracts, and long working hours also creates mental health risks. Perhaps, it is good to note that construction workers have a higher rate of suicide when compared to other occupations. The incidence of mental distress in construction workers is almost doubles that of the level of the general working population. This has prompted workplace-based suicide prevention through intervention. To care for one another, continuous improvement on programs such as seminars on PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder] must be introduced and reinforce by the management to have positive effects. Caring about another represents life’s greatest value. When we care, the health wellness improves physical health and safety in construction proportionally increased quality products.
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