How to Engage Your Employees in the New Year

Welcome, 2024! As we settle into the new year, many of us may see it as a chance for a fresh start, bidding adieu to old habits, and welcoming in new and improved ones. This doesn't just apply to our personal lives, but our professional ones as well. With these resolutions in mind, many employees will have a sense of renewed motivation and ambition to accomplish certain goals in the upcoming year. 

One question may come to mind: how do you keep your employees motivated, focused, and engaged—not only at the beginning of the year—but all year round? 

At BI WORLDWIDE Canada, we stand behind our recognition and reward programs grounded in the science of Behavioural Economics. Did you know 77 percent of all behaviour is driven by emotion? We look at how thought and emotion combine to drive decisions and behaviour. We then apply behavioural economics principles and research within our employee recognition solutions.

Here are some ways to recognize and motivate your employees to help keep to their goals throughout the year:

1. Kick-off the year with a bang!

At the start of the new year, schedule a kick-off meeting and add an element of fun with a sweepstakes draw. As many of us are currently working from home or virtually, ask your team to wear their favourite rock band t-shirt or to send in a picture of their funniest holiday moment to be entered in a draw to win award points. This will help generate conversation with the team by starting the meeting off on a lighter note. Highlight the accomplishments and successes of the past year which can segue into the company’s mission or your team’s focus for the new year. Most importantly, emphasize the significance of meaningful teamwork, which is integral to achieving success.

2. Reward employees who shine brightly.

As we go through the year, it’s important to show appreciation by highlighting employee accomplishments. Rewarding employees with points is a definite cause for motivation. Also, be sure to give shout-outs to deserving employees at the next team meeting or better yet, couple that by sending a recognition using the recognition tools available on our employee recognition program, DayMaker.

3. Use technology to recognize face-to-face.

As we move into the year of working from home, with so many powerful tools and technologies at our disposal, there are many ways to keep in touch and show our appreciation in a personal way. While sending a quick email is often tempting, and even appropriate, we all need to feel a personal element when it comes to recognition. Using our EZ Thanks Mobile App, not only can we keep in touch, but we can also continue to motivate employees, build encouragement, and show recognition – and most importantly make it personable. The EZ Thanks App makes sending recognition to your co-workers’ fun, fast, and easy. Send a recognition to an individual or a team and attach photos, videos, and personal messages of appreciation to recognitions you send. The App is available for IOS and Android.

4. Make recognition timely and specific.

Specific and timely recognition is the most effective way to acknowledge employees’ accomplishments. Recognition needs to happen in real-time. As soon as you see an employee going above and beyond, show them you noticed it. You also need to be specific about what you’re thanking them for. For example, recognize employees that exhibit company values in their work. Remember, company values are the heart of your organization’s culture! Not only are you instilling that core company values are important, but so is their dedication and hard work.

5. Recognize frequently.

The most effective recognition programs are used frequently to build momentum and enthusiasm and encourage continuous engagement. In a study of over 23,000 employees, BI WORLDWIDE found that a 10 percent reduction in turnover is seen between employees who are rarely recognized compared to those who are frequently recognized. In this analysis, rarely is defined as receiving 0-1 recognition per month and frequently is defined as receiving 3-4 recognitions per month. Frequent recognition helps keep employees motivated and inspired and translates into engaged employees, stronger business results, and lower turnover.

Just remember the start of a new year is an excellent opportunity to start or continue to motivate and recognize your team. They will look forward to the coming year and you’ll get some more dedicated and engaged work – whether in-person or virtually.