A new Eagle Hill Consulting survey of public sector employees finds that nearly half (46%) of government workers say they would like to receive more recognition from their employers for their accomplishments, while over one fifth (21%) say they have never been recognized for their efforts.
"This research is a clear indication that government employers need to up their efforts on employee recognition programs. We know that government employees are burnt out from several years of unprecedented strains on the public workforce, and many of these employees say they aren't recognized for their efforts," says Melissa Jezior, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "Inadequate employee recognition can contribute to missing organizational performance targets and high employee attrition, key issues that many government leaders are struggling to solve."
Despite increasing inflation straining family budgets, “the Great Resignation” and “quiet quitting” are continuing the trend of employees leaving for better opportunities or downshifting their effort and output, leading to employers facing growing challenges meeting targets, retaining talent, and attracting new employees.
Government employees are in need of recognition programs to motivate them to go above and beyond their responsibilities, according to Jezior, who asserted the importance of government leaders creating a culture in which gratitude for workers’ efforts is woven into daily operations at all levels of an organization.
The survey revealed several other key findings, including that only 36% of government employers asked employees how they would like to be recognized, and that less than half of government employees reported that their organization has developed new ways of recognizing employees during the past year.
The benefits of recognition are clear: when their efforts are recognized, government employees reported they are more likely to go beyond their responsibilities, stay with the organization, be more motivated to support their team, and go above and beyond for customers. Most public sector employees preferred cash or gift incentives or time-off rewards, though a simple thank you note was preferred by over a third of respondents.
With employers across the public and private sectors still struggling to fill empty spots in their organizations, leaders of government employers would do well to heed Eagle Hill Consulting’s survey results and implement programs to recognize their employees’ work.
