Employee Recognition is a key aspect to talent development and, it is also vital to the organization, as a whole. It increases employee retention. It strengthens motivation. It increases productivity. It creates alignment. It builds teams, departments, and more.

On the flip side, some managers may see employee recognition programs as a cost center. In reality, they not only provide an ultimate cost savings, but they can also be built with cost efficiencies in mind.  For instance, a survey conducted by Deloitte showed employee recognition programs lower turnover rates by 31%. Employees feel a sense of ownership. Supportive teams are built, with best-in-class internal talent generating stronger future hires. 

At the same time, leadership must be involved to reinforce acknowledgement, as well as set a tone and promote a culture of “thanks” throughout the organization.  Makes sense.  Yet, one recent study showed only 12% of organizations provide recognition program training for their managers.  

The Scrimmage mobile learning platform has several on-going options that are easily implemented with an employee’s learning to highlight their successes.  They also have cost efficiencies instilled, as they cover multiple employees/teams over time (vs. a one-time award). Further, by being mobile, they are available anytime, everywhere and support a global workforce.

Leaderboards are a tool within Gamification that measure different aspects of the learning from engagement to actual game results. They drive further engagement, team building and goal setting. Psychologically, learners strive to reach goals on their own, if they participate in leaderboards. It gives learners (literally) points of reference, and goals to reach. As a couple of design elements, it is prudent to keep the sampling smaller to instill further motivation and have them be transparent to all learners. 

Badges show progress with the content. They illustrate final mastery, or they can be used as incentives. For example, companies have offered Badges for helping others with knowledge sharing and mastery, by answering outstanding questions. Again, they recognize an employee’s efforts, along with his/her mastery. 

PDF Certificates also illustrate final mastery and recognition.  However, one tip might be to grant them for an accomplishment of a higher standard to highlight hard work.  For instance, a Certificate may be awarded for the completion of a major project, or intense coursework vs. a 15-min course completion task.  

Feedback Tools, including assessments are another hot trend, particularly among the millennial generation. With managers offering feedback on accomplishments, it shows employees that they are interested in their unique contributions, and encourages the behaviors to continue in their work.

Bottom line, a mix of tangible and intangible rewards, such as badges and certificates, have proven to be just as effective as monetary awards, if not more. At the same time, it is important to implement both team and individual employee recognition programs. And, finally, to have recognition programs led by leadership and become an integral part of the organization, it will go a long way towards retaining your talent, driving performance, plus building a collaborative, supportive workforce - and workplace. 

For more information on these Recognition Tools and the Scrimmage Mobile Learning Platform, please visit here. 

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SCRIMMAGE is a modern technology firm featuring the latest mobile learning and engagement tools serving global businesses from Fortune 100 companies to SMBs. The company works closely with its clients to build a customized, scalable and secure platform for all static and dynamic content, along with a full suite of learning solutions, including award-winning gamification, social collaboration and robust data reporting. Founded in 2010, Scrimmage has enjoyed over 525M platform interactions on a worldwide basis to more than 50 enterprise clients across a spectrum of industries.  To Demo the Mobile Platform, please click here.