Recruitment

R e c o g n i s e t o r e t a i n !

Excel Recruitment’s annual Salary and Sentiment survey shows that over 50% of respondents have considered quitting their jobs because they were not being recognised for their efforts. With that in mind, Barry Whelan offers advice on how to ensure your staff members feel valued within the team

BARRY WHELAN

managing director of Excel Recruitment

www.excelrecruitment.com

Employee recognition is as important for employee retention as renumeration. Employers should be making every effort to recognise their employees as often as possible. People are much more likely to stay loyal to a company if they are constantly appreciated.

Feeling valued

Salary is obviously one draw that impacts job satisfaction, but our own surveys show that more and more, employees want to feel valued. We asked this question as part of our annual Salary and Sentiment survey and found that 58% of workers say that the feeling of being valued is extremely important. We also found that over half of our respondents have considered quitting their jobs because they were not being recognised for their efforts.

That means recognition has become an essential ingredient in the recipe for retaining employees. Managers should also understand that recognition is not just about praise, it is also subtle and can even involve adjusting your management style or an office set-up. For instance, try to accommodate employees’ preferences and work styles in order to improve performance. For example, if a person is very talkative, they may want to have less privacy from other people in the office and vice versa.

Recognition

Employee recognition is important for employee retention. However, how a manager provides recognition can either help or hurt retention.

Managers should consider three things when creating a recognition programme:

How do you recognise an

employee’s performance? Everyone is different in how they want to be recognised. Not all employees want to be recognised publicly. You must make the effort to get to know your team. Before you recognise an employee’s performance, ask your employees how they want to be recognised.

How often to recognise an

employee’s performance? Don’t overdo it. If you over-recognise, your employees will become numb to the recognition. Who can offer recognition? While our survey shows that employees prefer to be recognised by leadership (49%) or direct management (43%), getting recognition from the boss is great, but so is getting recognised by your peers. Make sure you give the team the ability to recognise each other.

Different approaches

Recognition can come in many forms; here are just a few approaches: Communicate via video. A simple way to show gratitude is with a personalised video message via text. In addition to the message itself, it also shows an investment of your time. This can be used when employees reach a milestone, celebrate progress, or get promoted. Personalise rewards. This is an excellent method to demonstrate to

One way of helping employees to feel valued is to “create an internal system that allows managers and employees to give a shout-out to each other for a job well done”

employees that you appreciate them and that they are valued employees. It shows that you’re interested in everyone.

For example, if an employee’s birthday is approaching, consider interviewing their co-workers to find out what they are most interested in and what they would likely appreciate as a gift. Assume, for example, that they adore Italian food. Instead of a generic birthday card and cake, give them a voucher for an Italian cooking class or reserve a table for them and their family at the best Italian restaurant. Play games. “Gamification” is the approach that keeps employees engaged while making them feel valued. For instance, certain tasks could be assigned point values, which each employee would receive upon completion of said task. These points can then be redeemed for anything ranging from work-from-home days to a fully paid gym membership. It is a great strategy to keep the morale high and make employees feel like they matter.

Run an ‘internal props’ portal.

Create an internal system that allows managers and employees to give a shout-out to each other for a job well done. It doesn’t have to be anything custom — you could just use an existing Teams feed. Recognising employees in a public forum goes much further than something in just their individual team.

Introduce opportunities for

growth. If the person who deserves recognition is also someone who deserves more opportunities for career advancement, one last suggestion is extending an invitation to coffee (in person or virtual) to talk about their career goals or to connect them to someone in your network for a mentoring conversation. In the virtual world, you can easily invite the person to attend a high-level meeting with you to learn about a new area. ■

CAROLINE REIDY

managing director, The HR Suite

You r w e l l b e i n g d u r i n g C o v i d - 1 9

With the Omicron variant spreading at an exceptional pace, The HR Suite’s Caroline Reidy explores how employers can help support staff members throughout this challenging time

When we talk about wellbeing, we refer to our general quality of life, our level of health, happiness and our belief that we are doing well. The WHO defines wellbeing as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Wellbeing focuses on all areas of our life from the physical, mental and financial aspects as well as aspects like family and personal growth and development.

You should never feel that you’re alone if you’re not feeling the best. There are many supports available both inside and outside workplaces. Many employers now offer a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service or they have an open-door policy where you can share any worries or concerns. If that is not applicable in your workplace, then talking and sharing your feelings with a colleague or a close friend or family member will help.

Signs to look out for

Our mental health can operate along a scale from feeling well to feeling unwell. Every day, we can experience these ups and downs. Not everybody feels the same way when they are experiencing mental ill-health, but there are a number of common symptoms that we should look out for:

• Feeling sad or down • Too many fears or worries • Withdrawal from friends and activities • Serious tiredness, low energy or problems sleeping • Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate • Inability to cope with daily problems or stress • Alcohol or drug abuse • Major changes in eating habits Watch out for yourself, your friends, family and work colleagues. If you recognise any of the above, seek help.

As we all know, Covid-19 is still a challenging event and taking care of yourself and others during this time is vital. These hints and tips will help you stay well and will help you when interacting with others.

Personal hygiene

• Wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds using hot water and soap – remember to wash before and after work at each break. • Sanitise your hands regularly, especially after close contact with others and before and after each transaction. • Do not wear gloves instead of washing your hands. The virus gets on them in the same way it gets on your hands.

Also, your hands can get contaminated when you take the gloves off. • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your elbow when you cough or sneeze. • Put used tissues into a bin and wash your hands. • Avoid touching your face and eyes. • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Respect social distancing

• Social distancing is helping to slow the spread of coronavirus as it is minimising contact between potentially infected individuals and healthy individuals. • Respect the 2 metre guidelines and minimise time spent in close contact with others whether they appear to have symptoms or not.

Media coverage

Stay informed but set time limits for news and social media. Use trustworthy sources for a maximum of 30 minutes e.g. RTE, HSE. If you find the coverage on coronavirus is too intense for you, talk it through with someone close or get support.

It is important to meet with employees on a regular basis, adhering to social distancing or via virtual means

CONTACT THE HR SUITE:

If you are an organisation based in the Republic of Ireland and require further information or advice relating to HR, please do not hesitate to contact The HR Suite’s office on (066)7102887.

Keep up your healthy routines

• Exercise regularly, especially walking - you can do this even if you need to self-isolate.

Talking

• Remember talking things through with someone can help lessen worry or anxiety - you don’t have to appear to be strong or try to cope with things by yourself.

What employers can do

For employers, you can implement some of the following tips on managing wellbeing within your organisation, especially during these unprecedented times: • Policies: Policies and procedures can be put in place to protect and support employees and can include a

Coronavirus Proactive Policy and Dignity & Respect at

Work Policy. • Information: Provide information on general online wellness ideas i.e. online exercise details, online nutritional information, supports groups and emergency numbers to help support employees. • EAP: To help support employees, an Employee

Assistance Programme could be offered which is free and confidential to the employee. This is a service that provides advice and counselling supports to employees in times of need. For further enquiries on an EAP please contact our office on the details displayed for a quote. • Maintain communication: Meet with employees (adhering to social distancing or via virtual means) on a regular basis. If this cannot be done face to face due to social distancing restrictions, the employer should facilitate weekly online meetings one to one to discuss performance and goals. • Culture: Create an open environment for employees to learn about their own wellbeing and share ideas with their colleagues during these unprecedented times. • Online training: Provide online training on a number of topics to help reduce stress or to create awareness; time management, wellbeing and mental health awareness, dignity and respect etc. ■