As much as we may wish we didn’t need external validation, for most of us, this simply isn’t the case. For the month of January, we polled people in our Wondering Wednesday series on LinkedIn to learn more about how employees prefer to receive positive feedback and what kind of feedback feels genuine. Employers of all sizes need to think about how to create a culture of recognition in the workplace. Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to feel confident and motivated, are less likely to “quiet quit” or feel burned out, and are motivated to be more productive ― so it behooves managers and employers to take the time to demonstrate not just recognition but meaningful recognition for their employees’ hard work. 

Give Positive Feedback Frequently – and Make Sure It Sticks

Last month, when we focused on delivering difficult feedback to employees, we mentioned the importance of giving regular, real-time feedback so employees don’t feel caught off-guard by learning about problem areas in their annual reviews. The same is doubly true for positive feedback. Partly this is because the longer it takes for managers to recognize employees, the less likely employees are to see the affirmations as authentic, and partly this is because of negativity bias, which can make it harder for people to accept constructive feedback. The bottom line is that you never want feedback to come as a shock to the employee, and we were thrilled to see that 75% of our survey respondents reported receiving positive feedback in real-time. (Last month’s survey found that 68% of our respondents received difficult feedback in real-time as well.)

Why, then, do so many employees come away from their mid-year or annual reviews feeling un- or under-appreciated? When receiving feedback, many people tend to hyperfocus on the negative feedback and not fully absorb the positive feedback. This means that managers need to work twice as hard to ensure those positive messages stick in their employees’ minds, particularly during mid-year and annual reviews, which take a bigger-picture view than the day-to-day and may thus overshadow those smaller wins. 

To help positive messages get through the negativity bias, we suggest managers be specific with feedback: identify the situation, its impact, and your gratitude to your employee, all in one package. An example could be something like, “The training session you did in March about overcoming negativity bias was fantastic; we’ve all been working on identifying and challenging our negative thoughts when that bias creeps in, and I appreciate how much work you put into the presentation.”

What Form of Manager or Employer Recognition Feels Most Meaningful to Employees?

Recognition for a job well done can take many forms, both tangible and intangible. Gift cards, company swag, and bonuses (tangible forms of recognition) are all good ways to show appreciation, but it’s the intangible rewards that employees find most meaningful ― the ones that feel genuine and really make them feel appreciated. These underappreciated options can include frequent kudos in team meetings, private feedback from a direct manager, an Employee of the Month recognition, spotlighting an employee on social media, and so on. For companies with tight budgets, this is great news: it’s not about material things, it’s about words of affirmation and appreciation.

Our survey results found that a whopping 76% of employees find private feedback from their manager to feel the most meaningful to them. This makes sense when you think about it: your manager is the person who ultimately rates your performance and has the most impact on your career development at the company.

Give the People What They Want

But we can’t forget the other 24% ― the ones who didn’t find private feedback to be the most meaningful form of recognition. It’s important for leaders to recognize that each of their employees may have a unique answer to how they like to receive recognition for a job well done. Some may appreciate a public shoutout in front of their teammates; it might make them feel special and motivated. But others may be embarrassed by all the attention being focused on them; it may make them underperform to avoid such a scene in the future. In other words, what works for one employee may not work for another. 

As always, our advice to managers is to simply ask your employee what their preference is. It might sound obvious, but 75% of our survey respondents reported that their manager had never asked them how they would prefer to be recognized for a job well done. Just like you tailor your management style to each employee, you also want to tailor the way you recognize them: public versus private, written versus verbal, gifts versus words of affirmation. Don’t assume you know what they want; asking directly will demonstrate how much you value them as an individual on your team. 

What Form of Peer-to-Peer Recognition Feels Most Meaningful to Employees?

When it comes to peer recognition, our survey respondents were evenly split between preferring private kudos from a peer and preferring public kudos in a team meeting. This 50/50 split of total opposites reinforces the importance of directly asking. Some people are more comfortable in a one-on-one setting even with peers, whereas others might specifically want peer recognition to occur in a team setting to ensure their higher-ups hear the praise. 

One thing is clear, though: none of our survey respondents (0%) wanted to receive peer recognition via their manager. The reason positive manager feedback is ranked so highly in importance is because it is feedback that comes from the manager ― it just doesn’t have the same impact when they’re telling you about someone else’s feedback.

Want to participate in the conversation or see the results for yourself? Head on over to the HR Solutions At Work LinkedIn page, where we post a new poll every Wednesday!