How an Employee Appreciation App can help Amplify your Employee Recognition Program

The need to invest in employee recognition has never been more apparent for companies that are looking to retain their talent. Today’s workforce cares much more about their employee experience than they ever have before, and a huge part of that involves feeling valued and appreciated. To make sure these employee needs are met, HR teams around the world are building out employee recognition programs to help keep their staff happy. Leading organizations have also turned to employee recognition software to streamline their recognition efforts, and technologies on the market are only getting more creative with what they can provide. In this post, we’ll share how rolling out an employee appreciation app can help take your employee recognition program to the next level. 

What are the benefits of employee recognition? 

Increases employee engagement

Because receiving praise is important to the average person, there is a direct correlation between employee recognition and employee engagement. More than 40% of employed Americans feel that if they were recognized more often, they would put more energy into their work. When people feel like they are seen and appreciated for what they do, they’re much more likely to give their job their very best. 

Reduces employee turnover

Companies with recognition programs that are effective at improving employee engagement have 31% lower voluntary turnover. When people feel like their skills and efforts are being noticed and rewarded, they are much less motivated to explore other opportunities. 

Builds culture and community 

An employee appreciation or employee recognition program goes a long way when it comes to building a connected company culture. When staff are encouraged to give one another props and thanks throughout a regular work day, they get to know one another better and create new connections that help build a sense of family and belonging. 

Improves productivity & bottom line 

69% of employees state they would work harder and be more committed if their efforts were more appreciated by their company. When all staff members work a little bit harder, this can directly impact bottom lines. In a Gallup study, businesses that scored the highest on employee engagement were 21% more profitable than their counterparts.

What is an employee appreciation app?

Employee appreciation apps (or employee recognition apps) are employee engagement applications that employees of a company can download to their phones and access on the go. These apps facilitate how and when employees are recognized for their work. They also typically include peer-to-peer recognition capabilities that allow staff members at any level of the company to give kudos to one another for their performance, for example, through a simple message like “Thank you, Katie, for giving me helpful feedback on my presentation today.” All of this communication lives within the app, accessible from anywhere with connectivity. 

How are employee appreciation apps different from employee recognition software? 

The difference between an employee appreciation app and employee recognition software (also known as an employee recognition platform) is that the app can be accessed by phone. Some employee recognition platforms might be limited to desktop versions, meaning that employees need to be on a computer to use it. Employee appreciation apps cut out this limitation by making the software accessible by phone from anywhere that has connectivity. 

What are some unique benefits of using employee appreciation / employee appreciation apps? 

Easy accessibility

Because employee appreciation apps make recognition possible on the go, they can be especially useful for employees whose days involve working on their feet rather than sitting at a desk, like servers, security professionals, delivery drivers, tour guides, retail workers, and nurses. They can also be an extremely valuable tool for dispersed teams. 

Timely & frequent recognition 

Because these apps are so accessible and easy to use on the go, they help speed up how often and how quickly recognition is given. When employees work for a company that uses an employee appreciation app, they don’t have to wait until formal performance reviews to get feedback on how they’re doing. They can get recognized almost immediately after an interaction with a customer, after helping out another peer with a challenge, or after going above and beyond to help a patient. 

Higher adoption and engagement rates

Given that a vast majority of today’s workforce spends a great deal of time on their phones, the benefit of employee appreciation apps is that they help employers interact with employees where they’re already spending their time. Because the average person is quite used to downloading apps and using them on a daily basis, employee appreciation apps have high adoption rates and can, in turn, provide strong engagement. 

What are some next steps for rolling out an employee recognition app in your employee recognition program? 

If you’re thinking of implementing an employee appreciation app in your business, there are a few next steps we recommend:

1. Make your case for investing in an employee recognition program 

First and foremost, get management buy-in for investing in the app. You’ll need to be able to prove the ROI of investing in employee recognition to get the go-ahead and approved budget for recognition technology.

If you need help making your argument, here are some useful stats that you might want to use to justify the numbers. 

2. Learn employee recognition best practices to avoid common mistakes 

For employee appreciation or employee recognition to be well-received by your workforce, you need to make sure that it is timely, specific, personal, and that it ties into your company core values. There’s almost no point in rolling out an employee appreciation app if you don’t understand the best practices for giving appreciation. To help you avoid common mistakes and start off on the right foot, we recommend that you read 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Employee Rewards and Recognition Programs. 

3. Explore and compare your app options

Having a budget in mind is a good place for you to start evaluating your options for an employee appreciation app. As you begin to do your research, we recommend that you consider the following things:

• How many employees can the software support?
• What integrations does that app offer to work with other existing software that your company already uses like Slack or Hubspot?
• Does the app have capabilities to tie into your company core values?
• Does the app support peer-to peer-recognition? 
• How strong are the app’s analytics and reporting features?
• Can the app automate milestones and events like birthdays and anniversaries?
• How easy is the app to roll out?
  

4. Schedule a demo

The best place to get a real feel for an employee appreciation app’s capabilities and its interface is to schedule a demo with the provider you’re interested in. Demos and free trials are a great way to poke around the app, ask questions, and experience what the software can do first-hand.

To schedule a demo with Bucketlist Rewards and see exactly how we can help you engage and recognize your team, schedule a personalized demo here.