Organizations must recognize their employees’ exemplary achievements and beneficial business actions. To this end, we at HiFives analyzed what employees are recognized for in their organizations using AI tools and techniques. The results of this analysis were quite exciting and intuitive. So, let’s walk you through the analysis and the insights that we garnered from this exercise.
To do this, we examined about 250,000 messages of recognition sent to employees by their managers and co-workers through the HiFives platform.
In fact, these recognition messages are from 50+ organizations across different industries and geographies.
They relate to various types of recognition, such as manager-nominated and peer-to-peer recognition, formal and informal recognition, planned and unplanned, or spot recognition.
We analyzed them using various AI tools and techniques, such as Natural Language Processing (NLP).
So, here’s a summary of the steps that we followed:
1. Collated recognition messages/ citations from the HiFives platform
2. Removed all employee and company-specific content for privacy and confidentiality
3. Reduced the data to keep unique messages
4. Categorized achievements being recognized based on their similarities
Finally, we identified only 9 categories and 33 subcategories of achievements for which employees were recognized.
So, here are the 9 categories of achievements recognized:
1. Enhanced Customer Satisfaction
2. Boosted Financial Performance
3. Successful Project or Work Delivery
4. Demonstrated Adaptability or Innovation
5. Impactful Leadership or Teamwork
6. Effective Stakeholder Management
7. Effective Problem-Solving
8. Impactful Learning and Development
9. Enhanced Company Reputation
The following employee achievements related to improving customer satisfaction were recognized:
– Achieved high levels of client or customer satisfaction
– Built strong client relationships
– Received outstanding customer feedback or accolades
Enhanced customer satisfaction leads to positive outcomes, benefiting organizations through increased loyalty, revenue, and reputation while improving internal operations and employee morale.
The following employee achievements to boost the financial performance of the organization were recognized:
– Achieved cost savings or cost reductions
– Efficient budget management
– Enhanced productivity, efficiency, or profitability
– Developed and implemented successful marketing campaigns or initiatives
– Generated significant business growth, market share, or revenues
Essentially, a boost in financial performance gives organizations the resources and flexibility to innovate, expand, and improve, ultimately leading to sustained growth and success.
The following employee achievements related to successful project or work delivery were recognized:
– Completed projects successfully despite challenges or complexity
– Consistent delivery of high-quality work within tight deadlines
– Consistently met or exceeded expectations or targets.
– Demonstrated exceptional performance
In fact, successful project or work delivery is a cornerstone of organizational success.
It drives customer satisfaction, financial performance, operational efficiency, and strategic growth and builds a solid foundation for reputation, market opportunities, and long-term sustainability.
The following employee achievements related to the demonstration of adaptability or innovation were recognized:
– Adapted to changing business environment and demonstrated adaptability, flexibility, or resilience
– Developed and implemented innovative strategies, solutions, or new technologies
– Proactively sought out and implemented process improvement
– Implemented efficient systems or workflows
In summary, adaptability and innovation provide organizations with the tools and capabilities to stay competitive, satisfy customers, grow revenues, enhance operational efficiency, engage employees, manage risks, build a strong reputation, and ensure long-term viability.
These benefits collectively contribute to the organization’s overall success and sustainability.
The following employee achievements related to leadership or teamwork were recognized:
– Boosted employee/ team morale
– Mentored and coached team members for professional growth and success
– Fostered collaboration/ teamwork or a positive work culture
– Demonstrated exceptional leadership or decision-making
– Successfully managed a team/ cross-functional team
Impactful leadership and teamwork are foundational to an organization’s success. They drive productivity, innovation, employee satisfaction, and retention while fostering a positive organizational culture and ensuring sustainable growth.
Hence, these elements create a resilient, efficient, and competitive organization.
The following employee achievements related to effective stakeholder management were recognized:
– Developed and delivered impactful presentations
– Effectively communicated with stakeholders
– Negotiated successful contracts or deals
– Established strategic partnerships
Effective stakeholder management enhances trust, improves decision-making, mitigates risks, and fosters innovation, contributing to an organization’s overall success and sustainability.
It also ensures that the organization’s goals stay aligned with stakeholder expectations, leading to better support, improved reputation, and long-term growth.
The following employee achievements related to effective problem-solving were recognized:
– Demonstrated exceptional problem-solving
– Demonstrated exceptional time management
– Proactively identified and solved problems
– Resolved complex issues effectively
– Spearheaded successful business initiatives or projects
In summary, effective problem-solving enhances efficiency, reduces costs, improves quality, and fosters innovation, all contributing to an organization’s overall success and sustainability.
It strengthens team collaboration, employee engagement, customer relationships, and organizational reputation while ensuring compliance and supporting sustainable growth.
The following achievements related to impactful learning and development for what employees are recognized for:
– Acquired or enhanced a skill or competency that benefited the organization
– Implemented effective training programs
Learning and development benefits organizations by enhancing employee performance, engagement, and retention, fostering innovation, improving customer satisfaction, and providing a strategic advantage.
It supports adaptability, leadership development, compliance, and overall organizational performance, contributing to long-term success and sustainability.
The following achievements related to the enhancement of the company’s reputation for what employees were recognized for:
– Received industry awards or recognition
– Strengthened company reputation
In summary, enhanced company reputation drives customer loyalty, attracts top talent, increases sales and revenue, fosters better investor and partner relations, and provides a competitive edge.
It also supports operational efficiency, innovation, crisis management, and market expansion, contributing to long-term success and sustainability.
So, understanding what employees are recognized for is one of the first steps in fine-tuning existing employee recognition programs.
Here are a few thoughts:
It can help organizations reexamine their employee recogniton policies to identify gaps and opportunities, redefine recognition criteria, and re-align policies with critical business objectives and metrics.
Lead author: Sagar Chaudhuri, the Co-Founder and CEO of HiFives. He is an HR Tech Evangelist with over 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurship experience. In the past, Sagar has worked in leadership roles with companies such as Genpact, Infosys, and ICICI Bank. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Connect on LinkedIn
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