Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JUNE 2019 FEATURES 25 RECOGNITION 5 trends in social recognition Bots, apps, gamification, analytics all play a part in peer-to-peer rewards By Muni Boga P eer-to-peer social recogni- tion is a concept that grew out of newer social tech- nologies, diminishing hierarchy at work, and the increasing di- versity of today's organizations which are comprised of up to five generations. Employees have varying values, beliefs, drivers and work styles. But they all share one common element — they are all human, so they are motivated and inspired by recognition. e key to social recognition is the fact that it is "social." It involves everyone and it is transparent. e visibility that is created by a social feed allows every employee to see who is being recognized, and what people are being rec- ognized for, and it enables others to endorse and comment on the messages. The old top-down, reward- focused recognition models and "Employee of the Month" post- ers pinned to a bulletin board are being revolutionized and de- centralized at a rapid pace with a solution that touches people in the moment, makes a meaningful impact, and can unite any group of people. This engagement technology and philosophy can lead to reduc- tions in turnover and absentee- ism, and improvements in perfor- mance at both the individual and organizational level. When selecting a peer-to-peer social recognition solution, the decision-making process can of- ten be overwhelming. So, what constitutes a great recognition program, and what are the top trends to look for in a peer-to-peer social recognition solution? Let's take a look. Bots and apps for instant recognition To initiate a successful recogni- tion program and empower em- ployees to give recognition eas- ily, it's about making recognition available everywhere. Web applications, mobile ap- plications and browser exten- sions — supplemented by bots and integrations into collabora- tion and communication tools such as Slack, MS Teams, Out- look and Gmail — will enable this strategy. ese social recognition appli- cations and integrations all have varying degrees of connectivity with employees' workflow, ensur- ing the messages of recognition are both timely and connected to the work at hand. Non-monetary recognition for intrinsic motivation Traditional recognition typi- cally involved rewards programs aligned with compensation and benefits — do blenders and pens sound familiar? However, rewards are not rec- ognition. ey can be part of a recognition equation — but they motivate people differently. Not all solutions were designed with a "recognition-first" philosophy. Are you trying to motivate in- trinsically, based on people con- necting to culture and their work? Or are you trying to motivate ex- trinsically with a carrot? It's important to ask solution providers about their recognition and reward philosophy. Cultural values and behaviours What can be done to reinforce an employer's values and pro- mote individuals to live those behaviours? Align them with the social recognition program. Behaviours can provide valuable indicators on the health of an or- ganization and its people at any point in time. Identifying the value and be- haviour profiles for individuals, departments and locations can provide interesting insights into the cultural ambassadors and top performers. Gamification, behavioural incentives for motivation Gamification can mean point scoring, creating competition and providing rules of play. And while gamification can encourage certain behaviours, some forms can motivate the wrong behav- iours and actually be detrimental to corporate culture. For example, in a rewards-cen- tric culture, people sometimes ask for recognition from their friends so they can buy a reward for them- selves. Recognition shouldn't be demanded or requested. Recog- nition software that enables too much gamification with a strong focus on rewards can create this type of environment. One of the newest trends for social recognition solutions is called behavioural bonusing or behavioural incentives. is is the concept of creat- ing incentives or bonuses for in- dividuals who complete certain activities either inside or outside the workplace, such as donating blood, getting a flu shot or being a brand ambassador. Bonusing can be used effective- ly when tied to a stretch goal, but bonusing for everyday work can lead to a very slippery slope. While it's about encourag- ing the right behaviours, it's also about staying objective about how the activities being encouraged are interpreted by employees — we don't want to cross any ethi- cal boundaries and we don't want people to feel like they are being manipulated or controlled. If this happens, employees can feel like their employer is a villain in dis- guise and are left with feelings of stress and anxiety. So, while behavioural modifica- tion may have worked for Pavlov and his dog, it's not likely to build trust with employees. Analytics and insights for ROI Most social recognition solutions provide analytics that show which messages are trending or consid- ered more meaningful by their peers. is way, you know what is important to employees. Some of the more advanced social recognition solutions have leveraged new technologies such as machine learning and are push- ing the boundaries on delivering more meaningful insights into the performance of employees and the organization itself, as well as recommendations for turnover with some predictive elements. While the analytics and insights are still in their early days, they add great value and an ROI. We live and work in exciting times. The value proposition derived from social recognition is being pushed to new heights, where recognition is no longer a nice-to-have, but a need-to-have. e time required to run a suc- cessful program is continually decreasing and the ROI and value of analytics are increasing. ere are many flavours of so- cial recognition to pick from and it can be difficult to choose which one. e key is to define what is important for your organization and to ask the right questions. At present, social recognition is still an area of HR technology due to see much more innovation and added value. Muni Boga is the Calgary-based founder and CEO of Kudos, an online employee experience and culture plat- form. For more information, visit www. kudosnow.com. Credit: Max Griboedov (Shutterstock) Social recognition is still an area of HR technology due to see much more innovation and added value.

• Cover