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peer-t0peer recognition boosted productivity in fruit pickers

How peer-to-peer recognition programs boost motivation and productivity

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Peer-to-peer recognition programs help build a sense of belonging and a positive place in a business. In turn, that leads to more motivated staff and better productivity.

A recent study from Harvard Business School (HSB) put this assertion to the test with a group of fruit pickers.

Their results back up what we tell all our clients. Recognising your staff, particularly peer-to-peer recognition, leads to happier and more productive employees.

How the study worked

HBS researched fruit harvesting staff in the Western United States. The work is relatively lonely. There’s minimal social interaction, and few chances for an employee to hear positive feedback from peers.

A sub-group of fruit pickers were asked to watched a short video. It was presented by colleague from their company, detailing how the work they do has a positive impact on the rest of the business.

The video was deliberately inclusive in tone. It focused heavily on how quality work benefited the company.  Not just the company’s success, but how they affected the work of employees further down the production queue.

The employees exposed to positive expressions about their work were more motivated and did more work.

The motivating effect showed up again in a similar lab study too. Internal recognition and affirmation had a positive effect on employee motivation and productivity.

The key conclusion

The most important line in the study is this:

“Contact with an internal beneficiary…yielded a persistent increase in productivity.”

As in, when a colleague took the time to make an employee feel good about their work and recognise its value, they did work compared to a control group.

Their peer-to-peer recognition program boosted output.

Why peer-to-peer recognition programs work

Our need to feel welcome, and our need to belong, are fundamental parts of the human experience. In the distant past it was more than just a good feeling, it was about survival.

Being part of a group increased our chances of survival. As a result, humans are bred to seek belonging.

How humans live has changed. But how we interact is still fueled by those most basic needs: We need positive interactions and we need to feel we have a valued place in a group.

Being recognised by our peers gives us that sensation. In turn, we feel more compelled to repeat the behaviour that gets recognised.

What this means for your business’ peer-to-peer recognition program

Recognition works, and feeling included matters. We could have told you that without an ambitious study like this, but it’s nice to see the evidence in black and white.

The take-home for your business is that you need to make sure your employees feel included and valuable among their colleagues.

Even if you don’t want to roll out a peer-to-peer recognition scheme, staff need to feel included and valuable. They’ll feel better about working for you, and work harder in turn.

Alongside other studies, like this one showing a link between employee recognition and improvements in mental and physical health, the benefits of prioritising recognition are clear.

It’s something you need to embrace and utilise for the health of your company and your employees.

 

Read this and you’ll thank a colleague every single day

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Thank a colleague for what they do. It improves the physical and mental condition of both that colleague and you yourself. That’s the evidence from a recent study by Portland State University and Clemson State University.

The study explained

The university staff ran a study of 146 nurses practicing in Oregon, USA. Nurses in the USA are subject to burnout at an especially high rate.

That’s due to the physical and emotional stress of their work. The stress is why they were perfect for the study.

Over three months, the nurses completed surveys about their experience inside and outside work. There was a notable correlation between nurses being offered gratitude at work and uptick of mental health.

How “thank you” boosts health

Thanking colleagues affects both their mental and physical health. The two are inextricably linked, and inform each other.

Alleviation of mental stress from being thanked is the catalyst for other health benefits.

Mental health

Improving a co-worker’s mental health is a noticeable result of taking the time to thank a colleague.

They’ll feel appreciated, and they know their work is appreciated. They enjoy a positive afterglow they’ll carry into the hours and days after hearing your thanks.

Feeling gratitude increases overall job satisfaction. And it lowers the stress employees feel while going about their work.

That lower stress makes it easier to handle difficult situations in the workplace. the result is a more overall more positive work experience.

Giving gratitude, in turn, makes us feel good. Contributing to a positive feedback mechanism gives us a sense of wellbeing of our own.

Physical health

The physical health aspect comes down to two areas – lower stress and better self-care. Both have a strong link to the mental health benefits of hearing gratitude.

On a direct level, people who feel less stress from work get sick less often, and they enjoy better sleep. But there’s also a knock-on effect; less stress leads to employees exercising more self-care.

By lowering overall stress levels and making staff feel better, the nurses in the university study showed a greater level of self-care.

When hearing gratitude, the nurses in the study were more likely to make positive lifestyle choices. In turn, that fed back into their physical health.

Time to take action

Get out there and thank a colleague doing something worthwhile. When you see someone doing well, let them know.

Not just behaviour that benefits you and your work directly. Include performance that benefits the whole workplace.

Ethical behaviour, exemplary service, improvements in their performance, or even small but worthwhile gestures for other staff.

Or, if you’re in management, encourage and facilitate your employees showing gratitude for each other. Put systems and schemes in place that make it simple for your staff to express gratitude.

Good for you, good for your business

Thank a colleague today. It’s good for you. It’s good for your co-workers. And if you’re an employer, that’s good news for more than just your conscience.

Long term, having a more mentally and physically healthy workforce is good for business. Lower stress and healthier lifestyle choices reduce the amount of working days lost to sickness.

Mentally healthy employees, with lower levels of unhealthy stress, are more likely to be productive and stay in your company for longer.