Want to increase employee engagement in the post-COVID era? Recognition is key.

Much has changed in the workplace since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees working from home are juggling child care issues as well as other responsibilities, and employers have made considerable efforts to keep their employees from burning out on Zoom meetings while still fostering a feeling of connection and appreciation.

So have employees felt appreciated during this time? According to a new study, not so much.

Achievers Workforce Institute, the research and science arm of employee engagement company Achievers, ran a survey in June of over 1,000 employees to see how companies addressed their people and culture in light of the pandemic. The results of the 2020 Culture Report showed a majority of organizations having trouble maintaining what Achievers calls Culture Continuity(TM), which it defines as “the degree to which a company aligns all its business processes to its unique core company values during a critical event.”

Culture alignment did take a bit of a beating as the pandemic took hold, according to the survey. Senior leaders reported strategic planning, professional development, and budget decisions became less aligned to company values during COVID-19. However, improvements were seen in hiring, communications, and especially in work flexibility.

The majority of respondents to the survey reported feeling either well supported or very well supported since the beginning of the outbreak, although approximately one in eight people (14%) said they felt not very supported or not at all. C-suite and executives reported feeling the most supported, while managers felt the least supported. Respondents who felt supported were significantly more engaged in their work than those who felt less so.

When it comes to recognition, the picture is bleaker. The survey showed 40% of respondents said they don’t feel appreciated for the work they’ve done, with one in three employees reporting not having received recognition for their work within the last three months. The survey quotes research from Brandon Hall Group, which states that organizations who frequently recognize their employees are 41% more likely to see increased employee retention and 34% likelier to see increased employee engagement. Results from the 2020 Culture Report mirrored these conclusions.

In addition to frequent recognition, the study found a desire for more employee feedback opportunities. More than half of respondents (58%) said they wished their company conducted engagement surveys more often than they do. Those who were surveyed more than four times a year said they felt very engaged as opposed to those who were surveyed every other year or less. Most respondents (77%) also said they felt they could be more honest in a survey than in a face-to-face with a manager.

Surveys may not guarantee increased employee engagement by themselves, but the attitude they represent may help. “By investing in two-way conversation and committing to meaningful micro-actions based on feedback, employers can increase engagement across their organization,” the study says.