Employee recognition must become a top-level priority to tackle preventable staff turnover in Social Care. Based on a survey of 500 sector employees, Sona’s new research report, Appreciation Matters, found that more than two in every five have left a job because they didn’t feel valued.

The business impact of a simple “thank you” or “well done” on retention should not be underestimated. On average, labour turnover is 31% lower at companies with a ‘recognition culture’. In care, 92% of employees would feel better about their current work situation if they received more recognition.

Better retention is just one of the benefits. Happy, engaged and motivated employees are consistently shown to be more productive, spend less time off sick, and make fewer mistakes. So how can care organisations take advantage and foster a culture of recognition in the workplace?

Make meaningful recognition a part of your core values

If recognition isn’t one of your organisation’s most prized values, it will be more challenging to convince anyone to change how they work or adopt new products, policies and practices.

Make sure to explain the ‘why’, too. Explain how a culture of appreciation affects the things your employees care most about, like providing the best quality care possible and working with kind, compassionate colleagues who go above and beyond.

Start at the top

Leadership has a crucial role in nurturing and reinforcing recognition, and it’s the quickest way to give your new culture a kickstart.

So if you’re giving a presentation, make a point of acknowledging those who helped you pull it together. And in your next 1-1, when the meeting wraps up, go out of your way to thank your colleague for their contributions.

Embrace digital communication

Improving communication is one of the quickest ways to make appreciation a more widespread practice in any organisation.

Digital tools are available that massively speed up and simplify team communications. Communications apps are one way to remove the potential ‘awkwardness’ that might come from trying to praise colleagues face to face. They also make it incredibly easy to share and celebrate individual and team achievements across your organisation.

Sona has embedded recognition at the core of its workforce software. Managers can send personalised messages of praise or appreciation to teams or individuals whenever they’re logged in to the system. Staff receive an instant Sona app notification with that message of thanks or praise.