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12 Best Practices for Peer-to-Peer Recognition

Discover the best practices can help to make peer-to-peer recognition more effective and meaningful.

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What is peer-to-peer recognition?

Peer-to-peer recognition acknowledges a colleague’s talent, achievements, skills, or deliverables. Most often, recognitions come from leaders or managers, but what many don’t know is that peer-to-peer recognition is just as important and influential. Peers work together during difficult times on a daily basis. The special bond and understanding make peer recognition meaningful and special.

This type of recognition can be an effective way to show appreciation and support for the contributions of individual employees and can help to foster a positive and inclusive work environment.

Peer-to-peer recognition can take many forms, such as public praise, personal notes or messages, or rewards and incentives. By recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions, organizations can improve morale and engagement.

Peer-to-peer recognition can help to foster a culture of appreciation and recognition.

Why does it matter?

Peer-to-peer recognition matters because it can help to improve morale and engagement within an organization. When employees receive recognition from their peers, it can show that their contributions are valued and appreciated by their colleagues. This can help to boost morale and motivation and can lead to improved performance and productivity.

According to the authors of Leading with Gratitude, 67% of managers believe that they are doing an excellent job in recognizing and praising their employees. However, only 23% of their employees agree with this.

While peer recognition is not as important to some, it has a positive impact in the workplace. Here are some reasons why peer-to-peer is important:

Diversity and inclusion
Enhances company culture
Improves team performance
Strengthens team relationships
Boosts employee engagement
Empowers leaders and managers
Boosts ROI and profits
Improves team performance and collaboration
Decreases employee turnover

Best Practices for Peer-to-Peer Recognition

Implement a Recognition Program

Does your employee recognition program include peer-to-peer recognition? If you still don’t have a recognition program, it’s time to start implementing one. Statistics show that organizations that encourage peer-to-peer recognition have more effective recognition programs than those that don’t. To start, your recognition platform should make peer-to-peer recognition easy and fun for employees.

2. Use A Single Platform

Managing multiple systems for your employee recognition program is a headache. It’s important to have a single platform that is infused with other programs or tools that your employees use on a regular basis. This will also create a seamless experience and helps increase employee productivity. The best option is to have your employee recognition program on your intranet. By doing so, it can increase intranet adoption by more than 80%.

3. Make Recognition Inclusive

Each employee should have the opportunity to receive and give recognition. Companies that have inclusive recognition programs are by far more effective than those that don’t. To help employees build trust and a sense of belonging, organizations should establish an inclusive culture. By allowing peer-to-peer recognition, encourages employees to find a community or group within your company where they feel valued, comfortable, and supported.

However, as much as inclusive recognition is important, participation should not be mandatory. Mandatory recognition leaves employees feeling deceitful. Peer-to-peer recognition should be sincere and come from the heart.

Even small acts of recognition create a ripple effect and you will find more employees recognizing and motivating each other.

4. Recognize Employees Frequently

Frequent recognition is important because it makes your employees feel appreciated and supported. If recognitions are done every few months, employees might feel demotivated and employee productivity decreases.

According to Brandon Hall Group’s Pulse Survey, companies that give frequent recognition are 41% more likely to see an increase in employee retention and 34% more likely to see an increase in employee engagement. To achieve similar outcomes, it’s important to choose a recognition technology or platform that makes recognition easy and accessible.

5. Give Public Recognition

Ensure that your chosen platform enables public recognition just like a company-wide newsfeed. Public recognition allows you to put employees in the spotlight, something private recognition cannot deliver. By displaying or putting employees in the spotlight, everyone will be updated on every recognition in real time.

With Steegle Heroes, you can put employees in the spotlight and display it on your intranet for everyone to see. Additionally, you can reward badges and display them on the user’s profile.

Public recognition encourages employees to continue doing an excellent job and emulate exemplary behavior.

6. Be Specific

It is important to be specific when recognizing employees because it helps to show them that their contributions are valued and appreciated. When you provide specific feedback about an employee's performance, it shows that you have taken the time to observe and evaluate their work and that you understand the value of their contributions. This can help to boost the employee's morale and motivation and can lead to improved performance in the future. Additionally, providing specific recognition can help to foster a culture of appreciation and recognition within the organization, which can improve overall morale and engagement.

7. Encourage and Model Leadership

Encouraging leadership to model peer-to-peer recognition can be a powerful way to promote a culture of appreciation and recognition within an organization. When leaders model this behavior, it sends a strong message to other employees that recognition is valued and important.

It can also help to foster a positive and inclusive work environment, where employees feel valued and supported by their colleagues.

To encourage leadership to model peer-to-peer recognition, you can emphasize the benefits of recognition, such as improved morale and engagement, and provide guidance and support to help leaders understand how to effectively give and receive recognition. You can also consider implementing a formal recognition program or system that makes it easy for employees to give and receive recognition from their peers.

8. Leverage Monetary and Social Recognition

Leveraging both monetary and social recognition can be an effective way to recognize and reward employees for their contributions. Monetary recognition, such as bonuses or pay increases, can provide a tangible financial reward that can help to motivate and incentivize employees.

Social recognition, such as public praise or recognition from a manager or peer, can provide a psychological boost and can help to build a sense of belonging and community within the organization.

By leveraging both types of recognition, you can provide a well-rounded and comprehensive approach to recognizing and rewarding employees that can help to improve morale and engagement.

9. Celebrate Work Anniversaries, Milestones, Achievements, etc.

Celebrating work anniversaries, milestones, and achievements can be a great way to recognize and reward employees for their contributions to the organization. This type of recognition can help to show employees that their hard work and dedication are valued and appreciated. It can also provide an opportunity for employees to reflect on their achievements and to feel proud of the progress they have made.

Celebrating these occasions can also help to foster a positive and inclusive work environment, where employees feel supported and valued by their colleagues. To celebrate work anniversaries, milestones, and achievements, you can consider hosting a special event or gathering, sending personalized cards or messages, or providing special recognition or rewards to the employees involved.

10. Celebrate Work Anniversaries, Milestones, Achievements, etc.

Delivering an engaging recognition experience for peer-to-peer recognition is important because it can help to make the recognition more meaningful and effective.

To do this, you should focus on making the recognition personal and tailored to the individual being recognized. This might involve providing specific feedback about the person's contributions, highlighting the impact of their work on the organization, or presenting the recognition in a way that is relevant and meaningful to the individual.

Additionally, you should strive to make the recognition experience enjoyable and memorable, for example by hosting a special event or gathering, or by providing a meaningful and thoughtful reward. By delivering an engaging recognition experience, you can help to make the recognition more effective and meaningful and can help to foster a culture of appreciation and recognition within the organization.

11. Send Team and Individual Recognitions

Sending team and individual recognitions can be an effective way to recognize and reward employees for their contributions. Team recognition is important because it can help to foster a sense of belonging within the organization, and can show that the contributions of the entire team are valued and appreciated.

Individual recognition is also important because it can provide personalized feedback and recognition that is tailored to the specific contributions of the individual employee. By sending both team and individual recognitions, you can provide a well-rounded approach that can help to improve morale and engagement within the organization.

12. Track Peer-to-Peer Recognition

Tracking peer-to-peer recognition is important because it can help to ensure that recognition is given and received in a fair and equitable manner. By tracking peer-to-peer recognition, you can monitor the frequency and distribution of recognition within the organization, and identify any patterns or trends that may indicate a need for further training or support.

It can also help to provide a clear record of the recognition that has been given and received, which can be useful for tracking the impact of recognition on employee morale and engagement. You can implement a formal recognition program or system that allows employees to easily give and receive recognition from their peers, and that provides tools for tracking and analyzing the data.

Article by Maria Gabrielle