Why You Must Embrace the Value of Peer-to-Peer Recognition

While most organizations encourage manager and leadership feedback, they often ignore the power of peer-to-peer recognition –

June 22, 2021
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While most organizations encourage manager and leadership feedback, they often ignore the power of peer-to-peer recognition – which is arguably one of the most powerful influences on employee productivity and satisfaction.

Not only does peer recognition boost engagement and team morale, but it also increases productivity and decreases absenteeism. After all, if someone feels the people they work with the value their efforts, they are more willing to show up and be their best.

Why Peer-to-Peer Recognition Matters

Although peer-to-peer recognition may seem silly to some and awkward and forced to others, it carries more impact companywide than you may believe. Peer recognition establishes a more collaborative work environment and fosters positive interactions that contribute meaningfully to the workplace.

Peer recognition is also a way that companies can emphasize diversity and inclusion. Encouraging employees to recognize teammates publicly fosters a sense of connection and belonging. This, in turn, increases employee performance and engagement because employees feel more motivated to produce better outcomes and uphold a positive workplace environment.

There are clear advantages to peer-to-peer recognition, but fostering this kind of culture in ways that don't feel forced or awkward can be challenging. So here are some ways to build an effective peer recognition program in your organization.

Build a Public Recognition Platform

Building a recognition mechanism that enables employees to give public recognition any time and (almost) anywhere is incredibly valuable to any excellent peer recognition initiative. If it's easy and fun to shout out a coworker who assisted with a demanding project or offered a solution during a challenging day, employees are more likely to engage.

The way each company builds this process will look different depending on needs or constraints, and it may take time to find a system that works. Be transparent about that to employees during the process and encourage them to offer feedback about the peer recognition system they prefer or feel would work best.

Ensure Inclusivity

Everyone should have the chance to give and receive recognition, but just because they have the opportunity doesn't mean they will take advantage of it. As tempting as it can be to make participation in peer recognition programs mandatory, that is not the best way to build a lasting program.

Employees want to feel genuinely appreciated and valued. The moment a program meant to encourage their peers to do so becomes mandatory, any praise or accolades delivered through that program will feel forced. After all, there's no way to know in this scenario if an employee is offering recognition because they want to or because they think it's a requirement. Employee recognition of any kind should be authentic and come from the heart, and peer recognition is no exception.

There's no clear-cut way to ensure inclusivity in peer recognition, but modeling it is always a great place to start. Ask employees who praise other employees individually to share that recognition publicly. By ensuring everyone has the opportunity to praise and be praised, the odds that your peer recognition program will be successful are high.

Practice Frequent Praise

According to Brandon Hall Group's 2020 Culture of Recognition Pulse Survey, organizations that rate their culture of recognition highly are over two times more likely to give frequent credit to their peers. Companies and coworkers should both focus on frequently recognizing the people they work with for their contributions.

A simple way to do this is to encourage managers to set aside time for weekly praise and recognition, whether in a standup meeting or virtually through a Slack channel or online message board. By prioritizing a culture that values time for peer recognition, employees will follow suit.

Be a Role Model

Just because peer-to-peer recognition is the focus doesn't mean that other employee engagement tactics should stop. Employers and managers still must take time to recognize employee contributions and accomplishments.

No matter your industry, company, or organizational structure, peer-to-peer recognition can drastically improve employee engagement, productivity, and retention. By implementing simple ways your employees can recognize their coworkers, you're ensuring a higher level of engagement, which pays dividends for organizations and the people they serve.

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

Explore Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Assembly SOC 2 compliant?

Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.

What's the ROI for employee recognition?

There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.

Does Assembly offer longer-term contracts?

Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.

The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.

Does Assembly offer onboarding support?

We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.

Is there a free version of Assembly?

Yes. We offer a completely free plan for up to 50 team members. This plan is intended for teams or organizations that are looking to get started with an employee engagement tool. Keep in mind, this plan is limited in features.

All customers can open an Assembly account for free and get started without a credit card. Then you can change plans as necessary.

How much do rewards cost?

At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.

The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.

Does Assembly offer discounts?

We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.

How do I cancel my plan if needed?

If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.

If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.

What customizations are available?

Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!

Who can give or receive recognition?

While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.

What integrations are available?

Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.  

Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.

What's your average adoption rate?

That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.

Must rewards be set up to use Assembly?

They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.

Are points required to use Assembly?

No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.

Could find the answer you are looking for?

Please schedule time with an expert and we will help you to get all your questions answered