The importance of recognition in the workplace for the well-being of your employees and your company

Published: March 14, 2025

Do you feel your teams are demoralized and less and less committed? Lack of recognition is one of the many causes of declining commitment. And it's perfectly understandable.

Why would an employee want to work for a company that ignores his or her devotion, achievements and investment? In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about the importance of recognition in the workplace for the good health of your employees and your organization.

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What is recognition at work?

To flourish in your professional life, well-being and recognition are two essential criteria. It's very gratifying to know you're appreciated by your colleagues, manager or management. 💎

Recognition is an extremely powerful motivator for employees. Knowing that they are useful and valued, they take greater pleasure in carrying out their tasks, and in so doing, fuel a virtuous circle.

Conversely, a lack of recognition can seriously damage an employee's mental health, as well as that of the company. For example, it can be the cause of :

deep malaise ;
discouragement ;
irritability ;
reduced performance/productivity ;
burn-out.

💡 Did you know? According to a study conducted by Hays in 2021, 44% of respondents say they have already resigned due to a lack of recognition at work.

In short, recognition at work contributes to team commitment and motivation, which is why it must be taken very seriously by management teams. Thus, highlighting the quality of work, skills, efforts made and objectives achieved by employees is a key point on which a manager must rely.

The 4 forms of recognition at work

Recognition at work can take many forms. To help you see more clearly, we can categorize them into 4 distinct entities.

Recognition for results and objectives achieved

As an employee, you're expected to achieve various goals throughout the year. While most of these are quantifiable objectives (achieving over 50 sales, maintaining a customer satisfaction rate of over 85%, etc.), they can also take many forms, depending on the expectations set by the manager (gaining in autonomy, better managing one's schedule, etc.).

Ultimately, recognition of results achieved at work encourages employees to surpass themselves and stick to their targets.

Recognition of professional and personal commitment

There are many different types of employee in the corporate world. While some have the mantra of being satisfied with minimum service, others demonstrate a significant investment and a desire to do well. This can be seen, for example, in their sincere and dedicated commitment (overtime, personal investment, etc.) to a project that is particularly close to their hearts.

And this commitment deserves to be recognized and rewarded. Even if the project in question fails or never materializes. Knowing that his or her efforts are appreciated, an employee is far more likely to repeat them in the future to win the approval and respect of colleagues and superiors.

💡 Did you know? According to a joint study conducted by IFOP and Diot-Siaci, lack of recognition at work is one of the three main causes of poor mental health in the workplace.

Recognition of hard and soft skills

Mastery of complex software, interpersonal skills, analytical abilities, versatility, resilience... there's no shortage of know-how and interpersonal skills in the workplace! But as an employee, it's always good to know that your colleagues, manager or management are aware of your skills and appreciate them.

Recognition of an employee's skills at work can take many forms. They may, for example, be mentioned during regular appraisal interviews, highlighted in the construction of a company project, or taught through in-house training.

For a manager, it's important to monitor the development of each employee's skills, and to congratulate them on any progress made in this area. Always with a view to boosting employee motivation, commitment and well-being in their working lives! ✨

Personal recognition

Behind every employee, there's a human being who just wants to be understood and considered. Thus, maintaining social ties and quality relationships with different employees is an essential component for fulfillment and well-being. And this recognition can manifest itself in different ways in the workplace:

making sure you greet your colleagues every day 👋 (sounds silly, but it's the basis of recognition!) ;
ask about an employee's family;
be flexible and accommodating in certain situations (e.g., adapting an employee's schedule to enable him/her to pick up their child from school);
discussing everyone's career development prospects, ambitions, future plans; etc.

💡 Did you know? An OpinionWay study published in 2022 tells us that 84% of employees surveyed say that recognition at work is essential to their well-being.

The 3 main benefits of recognition at work

Making recognition at work a pillar of your organization offers many advantages. The more an employee feels rightly considered, the more positive the benefits are, both for them and for your company.

Increased commitment and productivity

When you make an effort, it's natural to want to be recognized for it. Thus, congratulating an employee on his or her commitment to the job is the best way to maintain a high level of engagement. Indeed, an individual motivated by a desire for recognition is naturally inclined to maintain his or her efforts. For the company, this translates into a positive impact on productivity, attachment and a sense of belonging.

Improved well-being

This is a key notion in the professional environment. Ensuring the well-being of employees should be a priority objective for any company. ☝️

Especially when we know the negative impact of poor mental health in the workplace (increased absenteeism, loss of motivation, etc.). Yet recognition at work is one of the main levers that can be activated when it comes to acting positively on employee well-being.

💡 Did you know? According to a survey conducted by Globoforce, over 70% of employees say that recognition at work makes them happier and more fulfilled, both in their private and professional lives.

Long-term loyalty

Talent drain is a scourge for many companies. There are many reasons why this phenomenon has been on the rise in recent years, including :

an overly vertical hierarchy ;
a work environment that's too strict (yes, once you've tasted the joys of telecommuting, it's hard to be forced back into open space 😅 ) ;
a lack of visibility on career development opportunities;
a lack of recognition at work.

And it's this last point that particularly interests us. An employee who feels useless, devalued or simply ignored will quickly develop a desire to go elsewhere. The result? A soaring turnover rate and employees who are impervious to the company's attempts to retain them. So, to prevent your top performers from leaving to join the competition, it's essential to show them your appreciation and gratitude on a regular basis!

Did you know? 25% of employees surveyed in an OpnionWay study say they intend to leave their company in the next 12 months.

How to express gratitude at work? 6 actions to implement

Now that we've seen just how vital recognition at work is to the health of your teams, it's time to look at the best actions to put in place within your organization to show your gratitude.

1. Organize regular team time

Whether it's a simple coffee break 🥐, lunch or afterwork, it's essential to regularly organize moments of conviviality and relaxation with your employees. These breaks provide an opportunity to discuss topics related to work or everyone's personal life. They allow you to get away from routine and give importance to the opinions of each employee.

2. Establish a reward system

Recognition at work can take many forms. Among them is the reward system

bonuses,
extra days off
and gift cards 💌

are all ways of congratulating and gratifying employees.

These material rewards demonstrate the company's recognition and can be an additional source of motivation.

3. Offer exceptional leave

All companies experience peaks in activity. This means asking employees to maintain a high level of productivity, and sometimes to work demanding overtime.

In return, it's essential to show your teams that their devotion has been greatly appreciated. So why not reward them with a well-deserved surprise vacation?

4. Set up monthly performance reviews

In order to evolve serenely, an employee needs to be heard. Setting up regular interviews between a manager and his or her teams is a good way of giving importance to everyone's opinions and states of mind. It's a privileged moment when everyone can confide in each other about the problems they encounter in their work, the points they'd like to improve, or even discuss their career prospects.

5. Highlight employees on your professional social networks

Social recognition can make a major contribution to improving employee well-being. Highlighting an employee's work is a good way of underlining his or her importance within the company. And, as an individual, you feel valued and recognized.

6. Highlight employee successes

In meetings, by e-mail or simply in a conversation at the coffee machine, expressing gratitude and acknowledging the good work done by your teams is a practice you should introduce at all costs.

There's nothing worse for an employee than to see his or her hard work ignored! Systematically take the time to congratulate your staff , and make sure that everyone's involvement is properly recognized.

Recognition at work: what tools can help you?

First of all, we can think of classic tools in the image of collaborative communication software like Slack or Microsoft Teams.

But there are more advanced solutions, focused on knowledge and skills sharing, performance tracking or goal management. These platforms aim to encourage employee engagement, notably through a system based on rewards and gamification, and to highlight their contribution within the company.

Some of the most popular software in this field include:

LumApps,
Bleexo,
SkillBoards,
Sociabble,
Vantage Rewards.