It’s always good to be validated by the research. Thankfully, we did not see companies we work with contracting their recognition efforts in the recession. Most saw the importance of continuing employee recognition programs as critical to their ability to maintain employee morale and foster engagement in frightening and trying times.

Recent research from Accenture, “The High-Performance Workforce Study 2010,” found the same to be true for many organizations:

Quotation

“Incentive, training and other related workforce programs at US and international companies held steady or were increase the past 12 months. … In the US, 39% made no changes to their recognition programs, while 28% increased them. For incentive compensation, the figures were 45% and 23% respectively. … International companies showed even more support for retaining or growing recognition, incentive and training programs, with just 15% and 19% cutting recognition and incentive compensation programs, while about 75% maintained or grew them.”

This report further supports Globoforce research and Towers Watson/WorldatWork research that companies on a global basis did not reduce or eliminate recognition and incentives programs on as drastic a scale as anticipated. This should help employers as they work to rebuild staff to pre-recession levels but may have to overcome a work atmosphere tainted by cost-cutting actions.

Globally, just over half of employers feel they are prepared to adapt and manage change in economic uncertainty. Strategic recognition is a powerful tool for change management, especially as a communications vehicle for changing strategic objectives and how employees can contribute to those objectives in their daily work.