Peer recognition programs are very popular in organizations today. Peer recognition increases the quantity and frequency recognition is given, and it takes pressure off managers who are typically responsible for top-down recognition. We published a peer recognition white paper that explains the benefits of this type of recognition program– including improved culture, loyalty, job satisfaction and camaraderie.

Creating a peer recognition program is very easy thanks to existing, ready-to-use programs. We currently offer three peer recognition programs, and I’m going to give a brief how-to for two of them today.

Our Shout Outs Peer Recognition Program  (Allison wrote a great writeup of the program last January) is one of our most popular and certainly deserves to be included in our How-to Recognition series.

Shout Outs are simple to use, and you start it by posting the Shout Outs pad in a public location. It can hang on a hook, be displayed on a bulletin board or stand on its own. Whenever an employee wants to recognize a co-worker, she tears a sheet off the pad, writes her personal thank you note, and posts it in a public location. That way, everyone can witness the recognition. 

Here’s how one of our customers described the program:

“I was looking for a tool that I could use to motivate my employees and build a team atmosphere among them. I was already using ePraise, Making a Difference and Thank You note/pin cards as a morale booster coming from me.

When I first explained the Shout Out recognition tool, I noticed some hesitancy on some of my employee's faces. It took about 4 days before the first Shout Out was posted, and after that many more were posted very quickly. I had someone from another department post a Shout Out for one my employees.

When employees read the nice words that someone had written about them and it was posted in a public area, their demeanor changed. They were very proud of the job well done that they were recognized for by their peers. This is an awesome and powerful tool. I would recommend this tool to anyone implementing an employee recognition program. It works!”

If you're looking for a peer recognition program that ties behaviors directly to goals, take a look at our Spot On Peer Recognition Program. You get everything you need in one box, including Spot the dog who serves as both a traveling trophy and mascot.

In the Spot On program, every employee is encouraged to deliver personal thank you notes to their peers. Each note has a receipt that is deposited in the dog house and tracked by the manager. The employee who received the most notes wins Spot. Other prizes are also available, and some organizations choose to include a save and redeem element, too.

Spot has a robust free recognition downloads section with additional tools and resources that make implementing and maintaining the Spot On Peer Recognition Program easy. We recently added new resources, so be sure to stop by for more free Spot On recognition downloads.

Peer recognition programs  empower employees to be responsible for recognition and increase the amount of recognition that takes place. And with so many simple and affordable program options, not having a peer recognition program is sure to put you in the dog house!

Watch how-to videos on both Shout Outs and Spot On on Baudville’s video page.

---------------------- 

Cori is Baudville's in-house Recognitionista (she's officially a Certified Recognition Professional, too)  and a member of the Millennial generation. Get her employee recognition tips and special discounts by liking Baudville on Facebook.

I’m not making this up…

Once, at a former workplace, our espresso maker got more peer nominations for Employee of the Month than anyone else. A high performer, true…but really?

That was the state of our morale. Our spirits had been broken by circumstances too mind-boggling to adequately describe here; but, we were truly disenchanted and pretty much walked around like an office full of zombies. Zombies who really valued a strong cup of coffee in the afternoon.

• There is only one winner—and that can make everyone else feel like a loser.
• To be fair, winners are sometimes chosen on rotation (either deliberately or subconsciously), which actually isn’t fair at all. Or, just the opposite, the winner is always one of just a few top performers.
• There is often only a nomination-type system in place (with the potential for management or peer favoritism), rather than having a forum in which specific behaviors and achievements are rewarded.   

Knowing what I know now, we could have chosen a more inclusive method of recognition. In fact, working at Baudville, I’ve seen two powerful employee recognition programs in place that are much more effective than the traditional system of single-person nomination: day-to-day recognition and peer-to-peer recognition.

Day-to-day recognition focuses on genuine everyday expressions of appreciation that reinforce and reward positive behaviors. It’s administered mostly by managers through low cost tools like Cheers Kits™, Pocket Praise®, and our latest champion the Pintastic Manager. The important part is that everyone has the opportunity to be recognized on a regular basis, sometimes just for little things, which makes everyone feel good.

Peer-to-peer recognition is a subject I’ve already talked a lot about lately, so I’ll try to keep it brief. But a program like our internal Shout Outs incorporates our core values, which means we are given recognition for exemplifying behaviors and attitudes that matter to our company (and are also key to business success). Spot On is the same way. People know why they’re being recognized; and, as with day-to-day, peer recognition includes everyone, so we all get to feel like winners.

Both systems have the potential to elevate the entire team—all the time, any time—rather than just focusing on one person per month. They also create a positive culture in which giving and receiving recognition feels natural and sincere. Finally, people are enthusiastic about the programs and look forward to recognizing their staff and coworkers…not appliances!

--------------------------

Allison is Baudville’s one (and only) Copywriter. She’s been writing for a variety of media for more than eight years, so if she tells you she has been there and done that, she probably has. Before embarking on a career in writing, Allison worked as a department manager where she used Baudville products to motivate her team. She’s what we call a true believer! 

You may have heard about peer-to-peer recognition from a colleague or saw it mentioned on Twitter, but you do know what it is or how it works?

No worries! We’ve just posted our fourth white paper in our Recognition Resource Center all about peer-to-peer recognition!

"The White Paper That Clears Up Gray Areas About Peer-to-Peer Recognition” answers the questions:
                    1. What is peer-to-peer recognition?
                    2. What are the benefits of peer-to-peer recognition?
                    3. How can you make peer-to-peer recognition work?

Visit Baudville’s Recognition Resource Center to download your free copy of this paper plus three others focused on day-to-day recognition, non-cash recognition and generational recognition.

Happy reading!

------

Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation.

We recently asked blog visitors to answer the question, who do you like to receive recognition from? These were the responses:
 
- 11.1% said My mom
- 44.4% said Peers
- 33.3% said Manager
- 11.1% said CEO

The results of this poll reveal two important recognition principles that I think you should take to heart.

Number one: The poll gives insight into what employees really value: recognition from individuals who witness performances first hand.

Peers and managers are a bigger part of an employee’s everyday work life than the CEO – or their mom for that matter. Peers and managers see how hard you work on month end summaries, implementing a new process or cranking out a major project. They observe your triumphs, struggles and achievements on a regular basis, so it makes sense that you would value what they have to say about you and your work.

Number two: Frequent exchanges of recognition between peers and employees and managers is key. Peers have very few opportunities to recognize one another unless you have a peer-to-peer recognition program in place. Most often, recognition is placed primarily into the hands of the manager who likely struggles with a full workload and large team. Equipping all employees with the tools to recognize their peers can have a huge impact on morale, employee satisfaction, engagement and create a more positive work culture.

Peer-to-peer recognition programs can be a little scary for some organizations. Everyone worries that the system will be abused and employees will recognize one another for trivial matters or only give recognition to their friends. Therefore, creating a strong recognition foundation is important to a successful peer recognition program. Establish clear guidelines about recognizing one another for specific behaviors that are tied into your corporate goals and values. Include a receipt portion in your program, too, so you can track who is giving recognition and why. For more detailed information and ideas on peer-to-peer recognition programs, visit our Spot On Peer Recognition Blog.

And remember, just because it’s a peer recognition program doesn’t mean managers are excused from participating. According to our poll results – and experience - manager involvement is very important. A peer recognition program is simply another valuable tool managers can add to their recognition arsenal.

Getting recognition from peers is important to employees.

----- 

Cori is a Certified Recognition Professional at Baudville and a member of the Millennial generation. In addition to writing for the Baudville blog, she’s taking on the task of flooding the Twitterverse with positive mojo. Find out more - and join her cause! - at www.Twitter.com/Baudville using the hash tag #positivemojo.