“Recognition right now? It doesn’t feel appropriate; it’s tone deaf to even consider celebrating achievements with everything else going on.”

I can see why some people might think this, and to a certain extent I agree. Holding award ceremonies and doing “employee of the week” could feel uncomfortable and out of place during our context of significant change. But these big gestures are at one end of the recognition scale. There are plenty of other things we can do as leaders and managers to help people feel valued – and these things aren’t just ‘nice to have’ they are ‘essential’ right now.

A recent article states,

‘During organizational change, uncertainty and stress are common. Recognition can alleviate some of this stress by providing reassurance that employees’ contributions are valued.’ (Field, 2024)

The word ‘reassurance’ jumps out here. It’s natural to question whether your skills are valued during change. Most of us have probably asked ourselves, “does the organisation value my skills?” “If I am put at risk or my current job is changing significantly does that mean my contributions and skills aren’t valued?”. This can be unsettling and can lead to self-doubt.

As leaders and managers, we can reassure and motivate people through thoughtful recognition, and by reminding them that, whatever the outcome, they are valued. Often what gets in the way of us doing this is concern about the appropriateness of the gesture, and a fear of getting it wrong. 

Here are some simple actions you can take to help people feel valued right now:

• Read our ‘How can I encourage kindness’ blog. Acknowledging the situation, listening and taking a genuine interest in people are the starting point. This shows you care and will make the recognition you give feel authentic.
• Celebrate effort. Even coming to work for some people right now might be difficult. I’m not suggesting you stand up and congratulate your team on turning up for work…but if you know someone is struggling with this, acknowledge their efforts and offer support. For others the effort might be their creativity, their resilience, their willingness to support others around them. Let them know you’ve noticed this and are grateful for it. 
• Recognise progress along the way. If people are working towards a goal or piece of work, don’t wait until its completed to say well done. Recognise milestones or the fact they have overcome obstacles. Let them know they are on the right track.
• Help people reflect on their achievements since joining the team, also ask them about the small things they do that make a difference. This is a great way of helping people recognise the value they add. Many of us struggle with talking about our achievements but it’s an essential skill, so opening up a discussion about it will help develop this too.
• Let them know what strengths and qualities you really admire. Ask them which strengths they will draw on to get them through the next phase, whatever that might be. If they aren’t sure what their strengths are the VIA Strengths assessment can help with this.
• Incorporate recognition into every team meeting – even if it’s just to say thank you….

Further reading:

‘Making your team feel valued and like they belong. ’LinkedIn, Ali Agha, 2024.

‘Employee Engagement Strategies During Organizational Change.’ Field, 2024. 

Harriet Robb, Learning and Organisational Development Team