Celebrating success
We've been running our Employee Feedback Culture Survey for some time to help us gauge trends and needs. Over time, we have seen a general uplift both in capability and willingness to give and receive feedback at work. Our latest review supports these general trends but still reveals some difficulties.
For example, 40% of respondents disagreed with the statement "in my company we celebrate success and recognise people's achievements", with a further 13% neither agreeing or disagreeing. (On the positive side, just under half of those surveyed agreed with the statement).
The survey also found:
40% said that giving and receiving feedback was not valued, widely practiced or done well in their organisation
43% don't feel that they or their contribution is valued
As we have previously discussed here (and elsewhere) recognising contribution and achievement works - we all work better when we consider that we are valued. Many people are demotivated when they feel unnoticed or unappreciated. Giving and receiving feedback on our performance helps us to build (or maintain) confidence and boost skills.
Celebrating successes, particularly in teams, presents an excellent opportunity for all to pause, reflect, evaluate and mark a project or performance period with some degree of emotional connection. This doesn't need to be a huge or expensive activity. This enables us to learn, to feel good and to connect with colleagues. It helps to mark the completion of something and take a breath before starting on the next thing. When we talk to managers of really busy teams, they will often say that they don't carve out time for this and can see how tired and sometimes jaded their people are as a result. These activities do not need to be difficult - they require intention, time and some skill. The benefits are certainly worth the investment.
If you're an employer how would your people rate your company? If you're an employee, how appreciated do you feel? We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences on how success is celebrated in your company. Do leave any comments below or email us.
If you would like to discuss developing a feedback culture in your company or developing these skills, do get in touch. E: enquiries@managingchange