What is peer recognition?
Peer recognition is an expression of appreciation exchanged between colleagues and coworkers. Often called peer-to-peer recognition, it applies to coworkers within the same team, within different departments, or even within different organizations, that praise one another for their hard work or excellent performance.
Peer recognition can apply to a job well done on an assignment or project, and it can be used to motivate colleagues with positive feedback and kind words. It's how one acknowledges another team member's skills, talent, or deliverables.
Employee recognition software can help companies improve their culture by analyzing specific metrics to reward teams and individual employees. These tools make delivering this recognition as easy as possible.
Types of peer recognition
When giving peer recognition, it’s typically done through digital media, using the written word, or face-to-face.
- Digital media: Some colleagues may choose to send their peer an email with positive feedback or choose the route of an electronic e-card showing their appreciation. If a company utilizes a public forum for peer recognition, it can be done here, too.
- Written recognition: A team member may leave their peer a hand-written note on their desk or write something meaningful in a thank you card to show they’ve noticed the hard work and dedication their peer has shown in their role recently.
- Face-to-face: A peer could start a face-to-face interaction with a colleague when getting coffee or walking from one meeting to another. Face-to-face peer recognition can also be done during a team or department meeting so that others can hear the kind words of appreciation.
Benefits of peer recognition
When done correctly, peer recognition can provide many benefits within small teams, larger departments, and organizations as a whole.
- Enhances company culture: Peer-to-peer recognition can create a more collaborative and empathic work environment. Having a way to share feedback, praise, and gratitude increases communication, leading to a thriving culture.
- Builds team morale and spirit: Building positive working relationships and recognizing the hard work of others can go a long way in keeping employees happy. Doing so can also increase morale support, thanks to providing words of support and regular appreciation for a peer.
- Boosts performance and motivation: Providing peer feedback can increase employees' productivity levels, which provides a boost in revenue and levels of engagement. When an employee is recognized for their exceptional performance, they will continue to work hard in the future for additional recognition.
- Decreases turnover: Having a staff of employees who feel appreciated means they'll be less likely to look for a new career opportunity and stay at an organization long-term. Retention is a lingering issue for many companies, but establishing a culture where employees feel appreciated can help improve employee turnover.
- Fosters employee relationships: Providing recognition is a great way to strengthen the connection between coworkers and give employees a sense of belonging. An increase in positivity amongst a team can help build rapport between colleagues while bringing them together.
- Builds confidence and self-esteem: Recognition of a peer for their performance makes them feel more appreciated and will boost their confidence and self-esteem. It's crucial that employees feel confident in their abilities as they perform their day-to-day responsibilities.
- Promote transparency: A strategy built on peer recognition means others can see their team acknowledged for their accomplishments, and what is and isn’t being said. This level of transparency can have a positive impact on culture and boost efficiency across departments.
Basic elements of peer recognition
When giving peer recognition, individuals should keep these essential elements in mind so that their feedback can be as effective as possible.
- Timely: Peer recognition surrounding a project or accomplishment should be given as soon as possible. Don’t wait for a yearly performance appraisal to let a team member or direct report know they did an exceptional job. Timely recognition also indicates that employees are paying attention to the output of their team.
- Authentic: Providing recognition to a peer should never feel like a chore or something to be crossed off a to-do list every week. Recognition should provide genuine gratitude from one colleague to another and feel sincere with how it’s communicated.
- Specific: Avoid vague comments like "good job today" or "well done this week." Peer recognition should be specific with details regarding where an employee excelled, while also being meaningful and providing insight into what they did right.
- Public: The more people that see positive peer-to-peer feedback, the better. Consider posting the recognition on a public forum or communication channel within the organization. Not only will more people see the kind words of recognition, but it may inspire others to give recognition to their team, too. It’s all about sharing a bright spotlight on a peer’s exceptional work.
- Fun: When sending a message with peer feedback, it’s okay to make the message fun and casual with emojis, GIFs, and friendly language. A team can also hand out physical rewards, like a trophy for one's desk, for a job well done.
Peer recognition best practices
When rolling out peer-to-peer recognition within an organization, it's essential to keep these best practices in mind to ensure feedback is appropriately given.
- Create a peer recognition program: Establishing a peer recognition program is a great way to give employees a platform to thank one another for their hard work and dedication while promoting a positive environment. This program should be incorporated within an organization's company culture and tied back to its core values.
- Utilize software: As stated, it’s in an organization's best interest to take advantage of employee recognition software as a way to successfully implement peer recognition across departments. Doing so is a great way to keep track of who is providing feedback and who is being acknowledged for their hard work and performance, while making it fun and easy to give feedback.
- Ensure recognition is inclusive: Peer-to-peer feedback should be available to employees within every department. All employees should be allowed to recognize the hard work of their peers as a way to build a community within an organization, making it possible for their colleagues to feel valued and supported. Additionally, partaking in peer-to-peer recognition or a recognition program should be voluntary and never mandatory.
Mara Calvello
Mara Calvello is a Content and Communications Manager at G2. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University). Mara writes content highlighting G2 newsroom events and customer marketing case studies, while also focusing on social media and communications for G2. She previously wrote content to support our G2 Tea newsletter, as well as categories on artificial intelligence, natural language understanding (NLU), AI code generation, synthetic data, and more. In her spare time, she's out exploring with her rescue dog Zeke or enjoying a good book.