How can employee recognition programs backfire?

Employee recognition programs are very well for appreciation and motivation of employees. But sometimes these programs backfire due to biasness and unfair practices adopted by management. So, while drafting and implementing employee recognition programs organization should be clear and transparent and it should be uploaded on employee portal to avoid ambiguity among employees.

Perception of favoritism has both the angles. Sometimes, it is real when biases flow within executive culture, though it may be a rare phenomenon, because, no one likes to be named as biased. However, in majority of the cases, it is a perception narrated by the people who were unprepared to compete with the winners.

Employee recognition is key to overall engagement. Fairness is the recognition program is critical to the program being seen as meaningful and valid for employees. One way to add fairness to the program is to multiple opportunities for manager and peers to nominate employees and a panel see as fair and unbiased making decisions finalists for larger, annual awards. Get everyone involved to boost engagement in the program!

Managed many R&R programs, most of them were successful till the point they were relevant and had business leaders' buy-in. Some fail as they are designed and driven by "HR" and not with a joint effort of all stakeholders. Objective and purpose of such initiatives have to be well aligned with the overall purpose of the organization. Both should be in tandem otherwise there is always a risk of having öh one more HR initiative" response from employees. Besides that, it should help employees to explore their potential and value add to the organization's vision.

R & R fails 1. When its done for the sake of adherence to the policy. 2. When its done without communicating clearly the expected behavioral and work performance which is reward-able at the organization 3. When its done based on the "Jugad" works done by employees. 4. When this is done separately, without having an impact of performance appraisals and career growth. 5. Lastly, when it is influenced by personal relationships, biases, favoritism etc.

For workplaces, tailor recognition: - Beyond vouchers - Public vs. private - Peer-to-peer - Think local - Small things matter

Probable reasons: 1. Not aligned with employee’s preferences. 2. Not based on meaningful contribution. 3. Perceived as biased.

Hi, making a Recognition program that could cater to all functions, roles, employees is not easy. We have to make a program and implement it across organization including various offices, factories etc. Making tailored programs may itself lead to conflicts as it may have different rules/prizes for different locations, functions etc. I suggest to run one program across organization however implementation be not tight-jacketed, let leaders take their call to fit requirements locally but within broad philosophy of the program.

Lack of alignment with organizational values refers to a situation where the employee recognition program does not reflect or reinforce the core values and goals of the organization and may include the following: 1. Contradictory messages 2. Misaligned goals 3. Undermining desired culture To address the lack of alignment with organizational values, consider the following steps: 1. Define and communicate core values 2. Integrate values into recognition criteria 3. Tailor rewards to reflect values 4. Seek employee input 5. Regularly review and update the program By aligning the recognition program with organizational values, companies can strengthen their culture.

Most of the Organization are stereotype in deciding Guest from Lead profiles inside the system and Management pushes for weakest system manpower to be promoted which causes lack of relevance in other domains of human resources and instead of being aligned they find these as lacking in relvance to them.

Hi, Those who gets selected in Recognition program also want to get felicitated by CEO/Director/MD/chairman/distinguished Dignitary. So they don’t mind waiting to get actual reward in hand after sometime. However important is that they should be communicated timely as & when someone wins or gets nominated. Instant rewards like Pat on Back, SPOt awards etc which are widely used for instant recognition of efforts, cross functional team success etc should be implemented and communicated to all employees so that recognizing people becomes culture of organisation and this will help in managing timelines issue of Recognition program.

An honest employee knows the good work she/he has done and expects recognition when they have done a good job at work. And when they don’t get recognised on time or get recognised at a later time they feel demotivated.

It is critical for a leader to look beyond formal frameworks. There are times where a single sentence in a teams channel by a leader right when the impact was made can go a long way in giving a shot in the arm for the team members as compared to making a mention of it a few weeks later on a formal platform.

In today's environment of instant gratification, employees expect feedback on a continuous basis. It is critical to give feedback for performance as it happens and not delay the gratification. The longer the time between the event and the recognition, the lower the impact of the reward. Always do what you say you will do. If the recognition is set to be monthly, then make sure it happens consistently on time.

In my experience - informal, timely recognition works wonders. One time, a colleague spontaneously bought a box of jalebis to celebrate a teammate's coding breakthrough. It was simple, immediate, and fueled the entire team's energy. Formal programs can feel distant, so I suggest creating a culture of "shout-outs" on internal platforms, using emojis to highlight achievements in team meetings, or even handwritten notes on desks. Remember, Diwali isn't the only time for sweets! Celebrating small wins consistently keeps everyone motivated, just like a daily chai break.

Keep monitoring the post recognition impacts and results on consistency of alignment with Organizational and Business Objectives. Measuring though will be difficult but keep your channel open for a Feedback loop and listen them over how much they feel valued? how much engaged they are? how much satisfied on their contributions? how much of future readiness, they are working on?

Mostly it is considered as an Subjective activity and not Objective so it is not able to create its impact. Real sense for time and money value can not be generated.

One pitfall I've seen of points-based recognition programs is that they become all about the points being given/earned, and not about the recognition. When this happens, the intended ROI is lost and the system becomes pointless (pun intended!). Companies who use these systems should regularly monitor usage and ROI and not be afraid to make modifications or move away from the system if it's not delivering the intended value.

Tie recognition with promotional opportunities as it will lead to relevance and retention. Improves growth in organisation...

As Zig Ziglar said, "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily." The same goes for recognition - it needs to happen regularly to really make an impact. Employees get bummed out fast if their extra effort seems to go unnoticed or unappreciated. Make sure you're recognizing the right behaviors that support company goals and values. Set your team up to succeed by making recognition timely, meaningful and measurable. Consistent, well-aimed kudos can be a key driver of satisfaction and results.

Transperancy in policy will bring freedom and open culture to share the feedback. With such an open environment we will receive more and more such important feedback. There must be a structured way of reviewing the impact of the suggestions. And lastly the most important thing is to have a tool for effective communication to the person on their suggestions status whether it's approved or not ? *The way of communication in rejection plays a crucial role here.

Feedback are most important aspect for an employee weather positive or developmental, however in my experience the delivery of feedback as reflect the approach and intent of provider and that impact the results rigour and delivery of the resource.

El reconocimiento del empleado tiene que tener como fin y objetivo ayudar a desarrollarse al colaborador y en segundo plano que ese impacto redunde en la organización. Es habitual encontrarse organizaciones que utilizan el reconocimiento de forma instrumental para el profesional rinda mejor en su puesto de trabajo a corto plazo. Es la magnitud del tiempo la que define mejor al reconocimiento, pensar más en la persona y menos en los resultados de la organización a corto plazo. Hay que sorprender a los colaboradores con comentarios y reconocimientos no esperados que lo vinculen su equipo.

Open feedback brings transparency and this helps in understanding employees’ diverse wants, needs and pain points. This also shed lights on the employees point of view and experiences. Feedbacks helps designing meaningful work to engage and retain people and creating “space” to focus on the employee experience.

Honest feedback always add values and is a strong tool for recognition… That’s why the relationship in a work environment must be set by a performance contract which help both sides to stay on track…

Recognition needs to be enabled and unleashed where and when it happens across all levels of the organization. Too many programs have unnecessary approvals and hierarchical or other arbitrary limits on who can recognize great work.

Successful recognition programs distinguish between appreciation and recognition. Recognition celebrates specific achievements, signaling 'Your effort made a difference.' Appreciation is the everyday 'thank you' for consistent dedication. Recognition programs fail when companies blend these two, diluting the "recognition's" intended impact. A truly inspiring workplace needs both: a culture that regularly shows appreciation and a program that meaningfully recognizes exceptional achievements. This dual approach ensures everyone feels valued for their efforts, while also celebrating those who achieve extraordinary milestones.

Employee recognition programs can fail if they lack genuine appreciation, fairness, clarity, consistency, or meaningful rewards. These shortcomings can lead to employee demotivation and dissatisfaction.

It’s the genuine and meaningful inputs from the Managers and larger organisation is what makes the reward and recognition program successful . It should not be used as a tool to please all but as a culture and performance building base to recognise the right attitude , ability and the efforts

Recognition is most effective in the form that the achiever would like… think of it like the love languages, but instead, recognition languages. Some want recognition from the top. Others prefer a couple extra dollars in their pocket. Yet others want a tangible award that they can see, and be reminded. Some team members would like their recognition shouted from a mountain top, and others would like it to be private. As a leader, it is about knowing your team members and recognizing them in the way that is most meaningful for them in order to create a positive culture and encourage continued efforts.