Employee Appreciation Day: Monetary compensation, flexible work culture are what young employees look for

"Moral uplifting does not satisfy every employee. I believe every employee reaches a saturation level in their professional life, where monetary compensation or a pay hike can act as a motivating factor. For each month's completed targets, the performer can be compensated monetarily or extra days off can be provided," says Srushti Bhakare, a city-based digital media professional, who began her career as a full-time employee in early 2022, when the country was recovering from the Omicron effect and employers were considering ending the hybrid work system.

For the 21-year-old, who feels motivated by supportive coworkers and managers, appreciation at the workplace is about nudging an employee to recognise their potential, enhancing their confidence level and helping them analyse their skills and growth in their job role.

According to a November 2021 report by ASSOCHAM, nearly 43 percent of employees in India's private sector suffer from mental health issues at work. Owing to the frequent work from home conditions and the fear of unexpected job loss during the Covid-19 pandemic, conversations about workplace stress and anxiety in the country dominated mental health conversations across diverse platforms. The pandemic also caused long term exhaustion among young graduates, who waited long enough to get placed or employed and earn a living by themselves.

While this has altered the goals of early career professionals urging them to seek immediate results, especially monetary, at a time when the impact of the pandemic is easing and things are getting back on track, workplace appreciation has also turned out to be one of factors that have helped in providing a fresh outlook towards career objectives.

According to Vaishishtya Naik, a recruiter and employee management professional, the response of individuals, who stepped into a corporate setting during the pandemic, to workplace appreciation initiatives was an encouraging one as it made them feel that the company cares for them. However, since the mood of the time was not about celebrations or achievements, people preferred and were prioritising health benefits, which were previously treated secondary, such as vaccination drives organised by the company, Covid-19 leaves and mediclaim covering Covid expenses among others.

The approach towards appreciation at workplace

"Appreciation should be a natural factor in the work culture of all the organisations. If an employee highlights a crucial point or puts forth an important point, which has been overlooked by everyone else, it should also be appreciated," says Gunjan Shah, a city-based technology journalist and music enthusiast. For the 24-year-old media professional, the idea of appreciation at the workplace encompasses a result-oriented or project-based approach to recognise the overall abilities of the employee in tackling challenges at hand.

One is aware of the variety of initiatives undertaken by human resource professionals in a corporate organisation with an objective to enhance the spirit of the employees and inculcate a culture of self-improvement. In addition to yearly evaluation that results in an appraisal, there are also programs for short-term recognition conducted throughout the year, sometimes based on everyday tasks, while others are project or event-based.

According to Shah, the approach of an organisation towards appreciation should be a balanced one, without any excessive acknowledgement for everyday tasks, which may lead to unreal expectations and may reduce the impact of recognition at vital times.

"Neither the employee should expect loads of appreciation for the menial and daily tasks they perform, nor should the organisation expect an appreciation from all of their employees for all the reforms, policies and actions taken to either harden or ease the tasks of their employees," adds Shah.

As Naik explains, the type of initiative that an HR designs depends on the goal that the organisation is trying to achieve. For short term goals or projects, the organisers prefer running a program that will give a chance to the employees for instant recognition in terms of a certificate, or an email going out to the entire organisation applauding the employees' efforts or some vouchers. For yearly performances, in addition to incentives and rewards, felicitating the employees at an annual award ceremony is another way of appreciation at a grand scale.

"Not all appreciation can be doled out monetarily. If the idea is to motivate someone and prepare them for their promotion, one can nominate them for an esteemed leadership or training program. At times it can be something as simple as recognising employees for their work outside of office," says Naik.

Monetary benefits and a safe work environment

Though recognition at the workplace may help motivate employees and boost their morale, there are times when such appreciating gestures may also act as a pressure on individuals to continue performing better, irrespective of the work conditions. The pandemic had urged a number of young employees to take up jobs, which they wouldn't have taken up, only if the jobs market and the economy of the country were in a better shape. At times like these, monetary rewards or appraisals are what people hoped for.

According to Sayjal Yadav, a 24-year-old Chartered Accountant in the city, periodic instant recognition at her workplace has helped develop a healthy competitive spirit. She says, "I am happy with the appraisal and recognition at my firm. When you work at a corporate organisation, appreciation is very important considering you aim and work to be a manager more than an executor."

Both Srushti and Shah believe, while token rewards are good for maintaining a healthy competitive spirit, a mix of token-based appreciation as well as monetary benefits helps people to add more to their long-time planned purchase and savings.

Additionally, a certain degree of autonomy and the ability to express their thoughts are a few of the factors that employees look for at their workplaces. While Shah feels appreciation should not always be output oriented, Yadav says the best way to appreciate an employee is to allow them flexibility to manage their own assignments.

Flexibility also means creating a space to provide individual perspectives, inputs and the liberty to take immediate decisions when required, which is one of the important ways of acknowledging the efforts of a young employee. This in turn goes a long way in building the much sought after trust and motivation among colleagues and team leaders.

"Any unique perspective, any amount of effort, any kind gesture in and out of the organisation should always be appreciated. Instead of developing a boss and employee relationship, people should approach it as a relationship of peers (with a few boundaries obviously)," says Shah.

Additionally, Shah highlights that acknowledging errors without shaming a person and addressing their mistake through constructive criticism is also an intrinsic part of appreciation.

"People should always remember that we are all humans, and it is our tendency to make mistakes. It is our responsibility to not make the person feel ashamed of what they have done, and instead people should highlight the shortcomings of their peers and subordinates, but they should do it in the form of constructive criticism," he adds.

While monetary benefits is surely a preferred form of appreciation over token recognition, early career professionals mainly look for a multi-faceted approach towards recognition, which creates a positive work environment and helps them grow, both personally and professionally.