The Ultimate Purpose: To feel like they matter.

Recently, an employee of a client organization told me that she had received a $200 gift card for doing a job well done. She went on to say that the “recognition” had no meaning because she didn’t even know who sent the card or what she had done to receive it. While she didn’t mind having an extra $200, she certainly did not get recognized. Money well spent by the organization? Well . . . no. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad they are trying to do the right thing with their programs, but did it have the intended impact? No.

When speaking with audiences, I often ask them this question: “We know recognition can foster better engagement, reduce turnover, and consequently produce more profits, but what is the ultimate purpose of the recognition?” Most of the audience members look around thinking that the engagement, the turnover, and profits are the ultimate purpose. However, I believe the ultimate purpose extends way beyond these final intended results.

The ultimate purpose is simply this: “To emotionally engage and inspire employees by reaffirming that what they do is appreciated – that they feel like their lives have real meaning – in short, that they feel like they matter.”

Research suggests that when people feel good about themselves, they are more abundant and considerate to others. Of course, just the opposite occurs when people don’t feel good. So, how do we encourage people to feel good? The answer is glaringly obvious but it is crucial to share with clients: Create great recognition experiences for your employees NOT just programs. When people are recognized, the brain releases the “feel good” chemical dopamine that boosts the person’s feelings and mood. However, it only works if there is actually an experience for the brain to feel good about thereby creating the release of dopamine.

The problem is that we often make recognition far more complicated than we need to. Let’s remember that the ultimate goal is to help employees feel like they matter. Let’s offer programs that focus on creating the recognition experience. If we do this right, the engagement, retention, and profitability will follow.