Most employers reward their most valued employees by giving them a pay raise. Turns out that may the best response for a job well done. But something must be wrong with that system, because half of American workers apparently don't feel valued by their employers.
That's what an American Psychological Association survey, conducted by Harris Poll, concluded when nearly 900 U.S. workers were queried about corporate reward practices. Asked how their employers rewarded top performers, 39 percent said raises were handed out. Another 24 percent said their employers gave bonuses or promotions based upon performance standards. A third said recognition came in the form of a verbal or written "Atta-boy/atta-girl" from their boss, a quarter got gift cards and one in five got a nice certificate with their name on it. Some said recognition came in multiple forms.
All told, 81 percent of those surveyed said their company offered at least one type of recognition.
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Yet despite the obvious efforts being made by management to recognize top performers, 51 percent of respondents said they didn't feel valued at work. Maybe that's because 46 percent of the companies represented by the survey respondents don't offer individual performance recognition. Another big factor: the types of recognition offered and the types preferred by employees didn't align in the survey.
When asked what type of recognition their company chose, and what type was important to the employee, here's what came out:
Salary increase
Provided by company: 39 percent
Important to employee: 62 percent
Fair monetary compensation practice
Provided by company: 19 percent
Important to employee: 47 percent
Performance-based bonuses
Provided by company: 24 percent
Important to employee: 43 percent
Promotion of advancement
Provided by company: 24 percent
Important to employee: 38 percent
In fact, the survey found that most non-monetary types of rewards offered by employers — from plaques and certificates to recognition events and the handing out of merchandise bearing the company logo — weren't very attractive to employees. They also don't particularly value one-on-one time with a supervisor as a reward; peer-to-peer recognition; and verbal or written appreciation from the boss.
"Less than a third (29 percent) said that team or work-unit performance is recognized and even fewer reported that their employer provides recognition for company-wide results (21 percent), or engaging in specific behaviors, such as those consistent with the organization's values (18 percent)," the report said.
Additional findings from the survey include:
- Men and women reported that recognition in general is equally important to them (87 percent), but men were more likely than women to report being satisfied with their employer's recognition practices (54 percent vs. 46 percent), to believe that recognition is provided fairly in their organization (52 percent vs. 42 percent) and to say their supervisor provides recognition effectively (56 percent vs. 47 percent).
- Although 4 in 10 employees reported working remotely at least sometimes (30 percent sometimes, 5 percent often, 6 percent always), no significant relationships were found between employees working remotely and their satisfaction with recognition or how long they plan to stay with their current employer.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
