Managing a remote workplace presents new challenges for organizations, whether employees work in the field, across multiple locations, or from home. Building and maintaining strong relationships often requires a more intentional approach, as many interactions that once happened naturally now need to be planned.
While opinions and research continue to vary on whether remote employees are more or less engaged, the connection between employee engagement and business performance remains clear.
With the well-documented impact of belonging and engagement, building and maintaining strong teams continues to be a top priority. According to Gallup, employee engagement is linked to:
- 21% greater productivity
- 22% higher profitability
- 10% improved customer ratings
- Up to 65% lower turnover
- 28% lower shrinkage (loss of inventory attributed to theft, damage, error, etc.)
- 37% lower absenteeism
- 48% fewer safety incidents
Organizations are continuing to invest in tools that support collaboration and connection across distributed teams. According to TrustRadius, 57% of businesses surveyed are increasing spending on collaboration tools, while 52% are investing more in remote desktop tools.
These investments appear to be making an impact. According to the 2021 State of Remote Work report from Quantum Workplace, hybrid and remote workplaces reported the highest levels of engagement. The report found that 81% of hybrid employees and 78% of remote employees reported high engagement, compared to 72% of on-site employees.
Recognition Is More Than a Reward
The Business Impact of Employee Recognition
While financial performance remains a critical measure of success, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of company culture and the employee experience. According to one report, companies that invest in a positive employee experience are up to 400% more profitable and appear twice as often on the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Recognition plays an important role in creating that experience. Research from Quantum Workplace found that employees who expect to be recognized are 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged. Recognition extends beyond celebrating a single accomplishment. It helps employees feel connected to the organization, strengthens performance, and increases the likelihood that they will remain with the company.
Recognition also helps build trust. According to Fortune’s Great Place to Work, employees who consistently feel recognized are:
- 2.6 times more likely to believe promotions are fair
- 2.2 times more likely to say innovative thinking is encouraged
- 2 times more likely to say their colleagues are willing to go above and beyond
The benefits extend even further. Gallup found that when recognition is meaningful and effective, employees are:
- 73% less likely to experience burnout
- 56% less likely to be searching for new job opportunities
- 44% more likely to be thriving in their overall lives
- 5 times more likely to feel connected to their workplace culture
- 4 times more likely to be engaged
- 5 times more likely to see opportunities for growth
- 4 times more likely to recommend their organization to others
Recognizing a Remote Workplace
In hybrid and remote workplaces, organizations can’t rely on spontaneous, face-to-face interactions to recognize employees. Instead, they need to create intentional opportunities for teams to give and receive meaningful feedback.
Despite continued investments in employee engagement, there is still significant room for improvement. Gallup found that only 19% of employees strongly agree that recognition is an important part of their workplace culture.
Employees also want more recognition from both leaders and colleagues. According to Quantum Workplace, 52.5% of employees want more recognition from their direct manager, while 41% want more recognition from their coworkers.
According to Gallup, meaningful recognition should be authentic, individualized, and delivered consistently. Recognition also has a compounding effect. When leaders regularly recognize employees, they establish behaviors that become part of the organization’s culture.
However, recognition programs designed for traditional office environments don’t always translate to hybrid or remote workplaces. According to Great Place to Work, two of the biggest challenges are:
- Delivering recognition in a timely manner
- Personalizing recognition to individual employees and projects
When building a recognition program, organizations should:
- Offer both public and private forms of recognition.
- Encourage recognition from both leaders and peers.
- Incorporate recognition into development and performance discussions.
- Recognize contributions that extend beyond specific tasks and projects.
- Make recognition a consistent practice.
- Align recognition with company values and culture.
Making recognition a part of your culture for employees, no matter where they work, keeps them connected to the organization and strengthens the trust relationship. “Most organizations think about wellbeing in terms of health insurance. Consider that having a culture of recognition may be as essential to the overall health of your workforce as a gym discount.”
At HNM Systems, recognition is woven into our people-first culture because we understand the impact it has on engagement, retention, and professional growth. Consistent, meaningful recognition helps employees feel valued, strengthens team relationships, and creates a remote workplace where people can do their best work.
