Why Peer-to-Peer Recognition is Critical to any Employee Experience

Think for a minute how employee recognition has evolved over the past few years. In the very early days, your paycheck was considered your recognition. Then companies started lapel pin programs for tenure milestones, which then evolved into a choice program where based on your tenure, you can select a gift from a curated list of options. I like to call tenure recognition the OG of employee recognition. It’s still very important, however, we’re seeing a growing trend; peer-to-peer recognition.

4 Benefits of Peer to Peer Recognition

Here are just a few reasons why peer-to-peer recognition must be a part of your organization’s employee recognition experience:

1. All Employees Have an Equal Voice– Recognition isn’t just the manager’s job anymore. Giving employees a platform/system to organically recognize and appreciate good work of their co-workers is hugely beneficial for the whole company.
2. Peer Recognition Will Change Your Culture Faster Than Anything Else– When the power to share gratitude and say thanks is given to the employees, they take it seriously. Not only does this increase your employees’ engagement, but it trains everyone to be knowledgeable and respective of your company’s core values!
3. Pick Up What Managers May Miss– Managers shouldn’t have to (and don’t have time to) shoulder 100% of the recognition responsibility. They’re going to miss some recognition moments, and that’s okay. Peer-to-peer recognition works so well because the people you work with on a daily basis have a front row seat to their peer’s performance.
4. Get to Know Your Peers a Bit Better– When you have a newsfeed-like feature that shows all recognition happening across the company, you get to know the people you work with a little bit better. This is especially true of remote workers who may not see the day to day kudos of their fellow employees at the home office. Peer-to-peer recognition allows your employees to feel connected to your company goals.

If you’re not using peer to peer recognition, now is the time to start. It’s the perfect way to help streamline your recognition program. One of the most important things to remember about recognition is to keep it consistent. Using a social recognition platform in your recognition initiatives will allow you to create a culture of recognition where all of your employees & managers show appreciation to one another. We’re recognition experts and can help you to make sure you have all of the right components in place for a successful recognition program. If you have questions about peer to peer recognition or how you can improve your employee experience, we’re to help.