Companies with established recognition programs have 31% lower turnover rates, and 41% of companies that have such a program set in place report higher customer satisfaction. Statistics may not answer life’s most burning questions, but numbers don’t lie.

Ford isn’t a Human Resources company. It makes cars. To make those cars and sell them, it needs people as much as it needs the robots on the assembly line. Unlike machines, people have morale. They are driven not by electric current, but by motivation. And motivation comes from within. So how do you get people to love what they do? Easy!

Acknowledgement

Let’s face it. We all need to be told we’re on the right track every once in a while. Research done by America’s notorious automaker shows that recognizing achievement is the best thing a manager can do to increase employee retention and customer satisfaction in one blow. Well, actually three blows. But all three are basically one and the same.

• Recognize achievement
• Offer professional opportunities
• Provide resources

Good employees will know to appreciate praise and use it as fuel to do the best work of their lives. When people put in long hours, they do it believing they can drive the business forward, while also increasing their chances of promotion. Speaking of promotion, this takes care of #2.

76% of employees will stick with you if they have an opportunity for career growth. But they cannot achieve this without the adequate tools for the job. This is where #3 fits like a glove: offer choice about the technologies they are going to use and give them flexibility (telecommuting, a transparent leave program) to use them. These three combined reduce absenteeism and boost morale, leading to a productive workforce that doesn’t await orders to get things done.

At 4PSA, we know first hand that it works. Full infographic below.

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