Times have been tough, and we know that many organizations have cut employee recognition items from their budget. After all, people are just happy to have a job now, right?

Wrong. Employee engagement matters now more than ever. And when the economy picks up, whether your people stay or go will depend on how you treat them now.

And while a single pizza party isn't quite enough to quell an employee uprising, giving frequent expressions of appreciation can do just the trick.

We feel day-to-day recognition is a way employers and managers can begin to work on the long-term retention of key talent and improve morale, culture and performance at the same time.  Day-to-day recognition is defined as the genuine everyday expressions of appreciation given to reinforce and reward positive behaviors. What makes it different than the expected year-end award or service anniversary gift is that everyone is eligible to receive day-to-day recognition throughout the entire year.

It’s a more effective recognition strategy because it reinforces desired behaviors of more people more often. More reinforcement = more desired behaviors = more productivity, engagement and profitability.

Makes sense, right? We think so. We recently wrote a white paper on the subject that is a free download in our Recognition Resource Center. Check it out, and let us know what you think. Better yet, put day-to-day recognition to work. We think you’ll quickly see its effects and never want to go back to a workplace without it.