Employee engagement is a problem for most organizations. Businesses around the world report declining levels of engagement with fewer than one out of three workers reporting that they are satisfied with their jobs.

We know that when employees are committed to their work and satisfied with their jobs, companies are 43% more productive. We also know that highly engaged employees are less likely to leave an organization, preventing the turnover that cuts into the bottom line.

The problem comes when we ask employees what it is that produces disengagement. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence along with research that suggests employees want praise and recognition even more than they want pay increases - and they just aren’t getting the recognition they deserve.

Here’s the rub: a large majority organizations have some kind of recognition program in place. So why aren’t these programs working? It turns out that what passes for recognition in many companies is little more than a merit badge for survival. Employees get perks like increased vacation time for years of service.

Research shows that employees want more than lip service from their employers. They want praise, opportunities and training. Most of all, employees want the companies they work for to be responsive. A cookie-cutter approach to employee engagement isn’t going to cut it, business leaders need to start listening to their workers in order to learn from them.

Learn how to increase employee engagement