Creating a culture of continuous recognition in your small business

We all like to feel appreciated when we go above and beyond. Why should this be any different in the workplace? According to a recent report, 45% of employees surveyed believe that recognition has a positive impact on their wellbeing. 

Creating a culture of continuous recognition in your small business is proven to boost morale, increase productivity, improve motivation, and create teams that value the work they do. In fact, taking the time to say thank you could be one of the most important things you do day-to-day to help your business thrive.

That’s where eCards come in. They’re easy-to-use, they’re entirely digital, they’re cost-effective, and they’re an easy way of building better employee engagement. Here are four ways eCards can help create a culture of continuous recognition in your small business.

eCards strengthen peer-to-peer relationships

It’s not just recognition from management that will help your employees thrive! Peer-to-peer recognition is also a valuable tool for strengthening relationships among your teams.

Being able to send a colleague an eCard for a job well done is a fast way to boost self-esteem and increase their sense of belonging, helping employees feel appreciated and valued. 

Peer-to-peer is a key component when creating a culture of continuous recognition. Allowing teams to send each other eCards helps foster positive, productive working relationships and can make your teams feel more connected, especially if they work remotely or in distributed locations. It can also be helpful for managers, who will be able to see which members of their team regularly receive eCards and gain better insight into the values and skills that each employee brings to the table.

Increase motivation and productivity

Did you know that 70% of workers say that motivation and morale would improve if managers simply said thank you more? A happy team is a productive team, and your employees are likely to feel more motivated if they know their hard work is likely to be acknowledged. eCards are not just a way to say thank you, they can encourage and inspire employees to do better each day, by helping them understand the actions that are valued by the team. They’re designed to be shared by anyone, at any time, sparking a culture of continuous recognition.

Most importantly, eCards can help you shine a spotlight on those moments that make a difference in your small business, by celebrating achievements publicly and reinforcing those habits in your company.

The wide range of pre-designed eCards within Reward Gateway for Small Business includes everything from Congratulations, Great Teamwork, Well Done, Great Job and Problem Solver to give praise for any occasion. You can even Welcome a new employee with an eCard!

Keeps your values front of mind

Creating a culture of recognition can be a daunting task for many, but the rewards are more than worth it. eCards can help you promote and affirm the values that matter for your small business, by sending eCards that recognise specific value-oriented behaviours. For example, if one of your core values is ‘we value teamwork,’ and somebody is an excellent team player, you can send them a Great Teamwork card with a personalised message. If you don’t have any company values yet, don’t worry, it can easily be resolved. A great way to get you started is with this DIY Company Values Toolkit, developed by best-selling author and thought leader, Debra Corey.  

This is a fantastic way of making moments of recognition truly meaningful. Use the personalised message function in eCards to specifically highlight how different colleagues bring your business’s values to life… and encourage others to do the same. Encouraging your employees to use eCards at the right moment is an easy, budget-friendly way to build a culture of recognition from the bottom up.

Helps boost employee engagement

Employee engagement is incredibly important, with studies demonstrating that engaged employees can boost productivity by up to 18% and profitability by up to 12%. This can have long-term implications for small businesses, which is why building a culture of continuous recognition from the earliest point possible is key.

eCards are perfectly placed to boost engagement and inspire employees during particularly busy periods for your business.

For example, you can increase engagement and improve wellbeing during demanding periods for your employees by using eCards to thank them for their hard work. You can also foster a positive culture throughout the business by reminding employees to thank each other for the small acts of kindness that make their days easier, building a chain of Thank Yous that will boost morale overall. Even better, with Reward Gateway for Small Business, you can monitor engagement levels and understand how many eCards are sent between employees on a regular basis. Last year, our clients sent over 215,000 eCards to recognise their hard-working colleagues!

Key takeaways

All in all, creating a culture of recognition within your small business brings a wealth of benefits and eCards are the perfect way to get started. Here are the key takeaways for small businesses looking to create a culture of continuous recognition.

• eCards strengthen peer-to-peer relationships by boosting self-esteem and increasing their sense of belonging
• eCards increase motivation and productivity highlighting achievements publicly and making your employees feel valued
• eCards keep your small business’s values front of mind by recognising value-oriented behaviours in a meaningful way
• eCards boost employee engagement which can have long-term benefits for your small business, improving morale during demanding periods

We are obsessed with our mission to make the world a better place to work. Sign up for a free trial of Reward Gateway for Small Business and let us help you motivate and reward your workforce.