Blog Post 1: How Team Shout-Outs Boost Employee Happiness
A simple gesture can brighten up someone's day. Especially when we work in a fast-paced environment, or work online where sometimes we can feel a bit lonely.
So, giving a shout-out is a great way to recognize your peers for their work, talent, and living your team values. And by doing this, you contribute to a culture of appreciation, community, and kindness.
It’s also important to make shout-outs-giving a routine or regular thing, so it will be easy for team members to give and receive positive recognition in the workplace – without it feeling cheesy or stiff.
In a more serious, or you may say “more professional”, note, shout-outs can increase employee happiness, and in the end, productivity.
But don’t just take our word for it – there’s plenty of data to back up the value of employee recognition programs.
63% of employees who are recognized are unlikely to look for a new job.
82% of employees consider recognition an important part of their happiness at work.
40% of employed Americans would put more energy into their work if they were recognized more often.
59% of employees would prefer companies with a rich recognition culture over a higher salary.
As David Novak, former CEO and Chairman of Yum! Brands, points out in his article on improving morale, “Recognition isn’t just about implementing employee programs to check them off a list; it’s about bringing out the best in people and improving your company’s bottom line.”
Not a “shout-outs kind of person”? We get it. For some of us, giving positive recognition in the workplace can feel more unnatural, than for others.
Here are some quick tips to give a shout-out that feels meaningful and not contrived…
Don’t force it. No need to use shout-outs unless there is something you truly do want to recognize a team member for – or else, it’ll feel artificial.
Be specific. Calling out a specific event or instance will make your feedback feel more significant.
Share a customer review. One of the best ways to positively recognize someone is to share the words of a customer or client about the work they’ve done.
Remove buzzwords. “You’re a rock star who’s killing it.” Yuck. Anytime you use a trite phrase, you erode the sincerity within your comment. Don’t depend on hyperbole to communicate your praise. Take a moment to be genuine. Say what you mean.
Don’t wait for too long, and start this habit ASAP. Pick a person (or several!) on your team, and write a personal note describing the work, situation, or action that you’d like to positively recognize. You can add a fun little celebratory emoji, along with it, if you’d like.
Your shout-outs can then be shared with the team during a meeting, or via email and Slack. Any time. Especially when you know there are people who deserve recognition and if you give the message right away, it will motivate them even more.
Blog Post 2: What Does a Genuine and Meaningful Shout-Out Look Like? Recognizing employees means acknowledging and appreciating their efforts in the workplace, both professionally and personally. Part of this process is understanding how individuals prefer to receive praise from their managers and peers.
However, we often forget to give this meaningful feedback. Or, we don’t put it into writing. Or we default to our general, “Good job!” without being specific about what we were trying to positively recognize. That’s where Shout-outs 📣 come in.
When a shout-out is said or written in not just a kind and warm or exciting way, but also specific, it will become more meaningful for the receiver and will highlight their strong points as well. Which will lead the team to be more aware of their advantages.
Here are some examples of clear, honest, and specific shout-outs:
A big shout out to John for assisting our team to move all our SMART Space files to a shared drive over the summer months. He has been informative, patient, and VERY quick to respond to all of my questions and requests. Many thanks.
Over the past several months Ryan has been instrumental in the successful building and completion of several courses that were on tight deadlines. His attention to detail, quick turnaround, and positive "we can do this" attitude made all the difference during a highly stressful time. Thank you Ryan for all you do!
Thank you so much, Tony, for helping us get a new employee set up and running the other day. While you shrugged it off in true Tony fashion, it was extraordinarily helpful and very much appreciated.
Molly is an absolute joy to work with. She is so responsive and helpful, and her focus is always on helping as many students as possible, both with financial aid and employment on campus. Thank you for making the process of hiring students so much easier, Molly!
If you are looking for someone who is consistent, stable, trustworthy, and smart, look no further than Ellie Denton. Despite whatever challenges come her way, Ellie stays positive and focused. She is understanding and patient and kind. With Ellie on your team, you can do great things! Thank you, Ellie!
Major kudos to Chiko for his willingness to go above and beyond, to do whatever he can to help, to always be positive and supportive and kind, and to show up to do the work consistently!! We’re lucky to have you here!
So, there should be enough examples to help you get started with shout-outs. Remember, regardless of the size of your company, peer-to-peer recognition has tremendous effects on vital parts of your business like employee engagement, retention, and productivity.
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