Beyond Compensation: Why Employee Engagement and Recognition Matter for Achieving Growth Ambitions.

As the CEO of a company with hyper-growth ambitions and a strategy to achieve them, motivating the team to stay focused and deliver results is an important task at hand. While monetary compensation is important, it’s often not enough. People want to feel engaged and appreciated. We see people reevaluating what is important to them and making choices that better meet their personal needs.

So, how do you engage your typical team to become proud ambassadors for your company? Creating a supportive culture and recognizing employees are but some of the answers. 

For company managers, it has become more important than ever to connect with employees, help them align on strategy, and work together to create a supportive environment where everyone is valued for who they are and recognized for their efforts. Here at Acronis, for example, we run activities supporting diversity groups, provide volunteering opportunities through the Acronis Cyber Foundation Program, and celebrate Acronis Day – an official extra day off when we encourage everyone to disconnect from Zoom and emails, and recharge, free from work priorities and obligations. These initiatives help us create an environment where team members are encouraged to come to work and give their best because they’re excited about where the company is going, not because they have nothing better to do.

As part of giving opportunities and celebrating achievements, we encourage employees to set their own development goals during annual performance reviews, participate in competitions, and nominate colleagues for Acronis Cyber Dragon awards. 

Every quarter, five Acronis employees from different departments are nominated for public recognition celebrating their contributions to innovation, company life, and customer service. To be eligible for the award, employees have to exceed their quarterly targets, show dedication, and demonstrate a creative approach to their work. Award winners are selected for their valuable contributions to teamwork and the contributions that benefit multiple teams across multiple departments. For example, our past winners include sales managers consistently outperforming their targets, designers creating systems to optimize routine processes, and community specialists creating volunteering opportunities for our employees. All of this is done upholding Acronis values of being alert, having great attention to detail, and never giving up.

Last week, we celebrated the 2020-22 Acronis Cyber Dragon Award winners, who noted the positive effects of being publicly recognized for their work: “The awards highlighted that I’m an important part of the company and recognized the efforts I make every day,” said lead analyst Renat Kuramshin. “This increased my motivation to continue trying to be the best in my position and working hard.”

The response is shared by other award winners: “Public recognition is important for anyone, especially in such demanding jobs. For me personally, having such an award and knowing that people do look at me as a contributor to the company's success makes me want to thrive and do more every day,” said distribution management manager Sara Pinheiro. Acronis Cyber Foundation Program project manager Trish Ng agrees: “Winning the award is a great motivator and a reminder that hard work and dedication pay off. It inspires me to continue striving for excellence and to contribute even more to the success of my team and organization.” 

Other winners stressed increased accountability and focus on teamwork: “The award simply brings you more accountability since it recognizes your contribution and requires you to work ten times harder to be a role model for your peers and direct reports,” said senior director, corporate cloud growth manager, Eugeny Gudkov. “Celebrating this award with my other winning colleagues has increased my motivation and belief in the spirit of teamwork,” concluded distributor account manager Seda Tuna.

While Acronis Cyber Dragon awards is a great way to recognize results, it’s not the only way to show appreciation for the great effort that teams put into their work. In my experience, often a simple “thank you” can change an employee’s outlook and recharge them for another achievement. To use the words attributed to Sir Richard Branson, I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers, and that people flourish when they are praised.

There is some science behind it all. Quantum Workplace conducted a survey which concluded that when employees believe that management will recognize their efforts, they are 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged. Deloitte, as stated by Forbes, confirmed the finding by saying employee recognition is highly correlated with improving employee engagement and job performance. Employee engagement, productivity, and performance are 14% higher in organizations with recognition programs than those without.

It doesn’t cost much to say “thank you” to your employees, but the return on investment can be priceless. Let’s not underestimate the power of employee recognition and reap the rewards of greater productivity, better morale, and customer satisfaction.