Why are some employees still not getting recognition from employers?

The current working climate is tough enough without feeling like you are not appreciated so why are so many employers still failing at recognition?

Good news! Employers have been listening to their workforces since the shake-up of the pandemic disrupted global working practices. This has resulted in an increase in positive employee experiences particularly when it comes to wellbeing, benefits and rewards offerings*. Yet despite these in-roads, many organisations are still lacking a recognition programme that considers all employees. 

The employee recognition gap 

 Our report ‘What do employees expect from your recognition programme now?’ interviewed 4027 people across the UK, US, Singapore and India from organisations with 200 or more employees and within a broad range of industries, job roles and levels of seniority. The results showed significant variances in how different types of workers feel about the recognition they are receiving revealing that: 

• In all areas women feel undervalued by their colleagues and leaders in comparison to their male counterparts 

• Over 40s feel particularly undervalued by people they manage, senior leaders or clients and customers 
  

• Remote workers feel more neglected by colleagues, leaders, customers and clients than their on-site peers 

 
Priority one: recognition 
 
We know that feeling appreciated and receiving recognition is a key driver of employee motivation and engagement, yet the report highlights that this remains an area of weakness for many businesses. Employees are clear that this is one of their top priorities with 89% believing that employers should encourage recognition at work and 88% saying it’s important for them to also be able to recognise colleagues for their efforts and successes. 

 Gathin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer at Benefex explains:

”This is a concerning situation but not altogether unexpected as organisations are still scrambling to address the employee experience gaps caused by pandemic. The good news is that this can be remedied with an impactful recognition programme that ensures every group is recognised. In fact, the report shows that recognition tops the priority list of all demographics, suggesting that by focusing on this, employers can improve engagement and motivation and boost their overall employee experience.”

These changing expectations might be a wake-up call for employers who may need to examine their current recognition processes and realign them to the new demands of the post-pandemic workforce.

Download the report – What do employees expect from your recognition programme?