It’s usually a nice experience for both parties involved when someone in your company receives recognition. However, the difference between private VS public recognition should be something to learn about.
In this article we will see the difference between private VS public recognition with these topics:
Public recognition
First, let’s talk about public recognition. In simple terms, public recognition is a form of recognition that is open and visible to everyone. It can take the form of awards, certificates, or even a public announcement. And is designed to publicly recognize and reward an individual or team for their hard work and accomplishments.
The advantages of public recognition are that it can inspire others to work hard, and can encourage team building. Public acknowledgement is typical in many businesses. It may inspire the entire team and foster a great workplace culture. It inspires people to help one another. That is a fantastic method to show your employees what you expect of them as well.
Public recognition typically starts as a top-down process where managers recognize effort and success. As a result, it promotes peer-to-peer acknowledgment in the workplace and establishes a baseline for recognizing team members’ specific achievements. This may have a significant impact on worker motivation.
Also, feel free to see our introductory articles about recognition such as Culture Of Recognition.
It is not necessary to give out very loud or expensive forms of public recognition to be effective at business.
Some easy techniques for recognizing employees in public include:
- On a digital recognition wall like Workplace Rewards, social recognition;
- Recognizing people or groups during a celebration or awards ceremony every year;
- Giving a shout-out in the business newsletter;
- Showing gratitude at a meeting with the whole team;
- Showcasing achievements on the company’s social media channels.
Public recognition doesn’t always require planning. Genuine and unique spontaneous public appreciation of the employee can also contribute to the development of motivation and a healthy work environment.
Private recognition
Private recognition is a form of recognition that is more personal and discreet. It usually comes in the form of a private conversation, thank you note, or even a gift.
The advantage of private recognition is that it can be highly effective in motivating and encouraging employees. It shows that their hard work and accomplishments have been noticed and appreciated. The downside is that private recognition may not be as visible or effective in inspiring others or creating team unity.
However, some employees do prefer receiving recognition privately because they feel awkward in front of others. These people frequently have strong internal motivation and don’t need to be the center of attention in order to be effective. Public recognition can be thrilling and motivating for the entire team, but it can have the opposite impact on people with reserved temperaments and social anxiety.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge people who prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Those that are internally motivated still require your support and encouragement; they just don’t require that you publicly acknowledge it. Thoughtful, private praise can inspire and empower these reserved people to keep doing their finest work.
Some easy techniques for recognizing employees in public include:
- A note or letter written by hand;
- Acknowledging particular achievements in person;
- An encouraging email of appreciation and acknowledgment;
- Sincere compliments given in a private meeting;
- A modest token of gratitude, like a gift card
Your internally-focused employees nevertheless desire your admiration and recognition even though they avoid the spotlight. Finding out who in your workforce likes public attention and who does not is worth the effort.
Public VS Private recognition – which one to pick?
Now that we’ve learned the main differences between private vs public recognition. How do you decide what works best for your company?
Here are some tips.
Recognition on private vs corporate events
In the previous chapters of this article we have learned that the type of recognition often is based on the type of people that work in your company. But it goes even more into details. There are different kinds of recognition, from which some should be public and some not.
While not necessarily being related to your company, there are some circumstances that could call for praising a coworker.
Public recognition is perhaps the best option if you’re expressing gratitude for an action that helped your job, your department, or the corporation as a whole.
Recognizing a coworker for actions that are special to the company could be:
- expressing gratitude to a coworker who stayed late to help meet a deadline;
- expressing gratitude for extraordinary efforts put forth for a group initiative;
- recognizing the department’s conclusion of a certain amount of cost savings etc.
Private recognition is frequently the greatest option when expressing gratitude for an instance where the organization was not involved.
Recognizing a coworker for anything outside the company could be:
- wishing your coworker’s best pal a happy birthday;
- expressing gratitude for a trip to work while your car is being repaired;
- congratulate your coworker on the birth of their child etc.
Check out our article about How To Improve Employee Recognition for more useful tips!
Is there a possibility that employees may favor keeping this information private?
An employee might be thrilled about the life event, but he or she might not want to discuss it with the company. A loved one’s wedding or reaching a 50-pound weight loss goal might not be the kind of news that someone feels comfortable disclosing.
Private recognition is the greatest option when in doubt. But, achieving a sales target or effectively implementing a brand-new data-driven process are fantastic achievements to share with the business!
In conclusion
There are some fundamental rules to go by even if choosing between public and private recognition might be challenging.
The key thing to remember is that if you are all for public praise, be sure it is in line with your company’s basic values. That will enhance the employee’s reputation, and is something the recipient would feel comfortable sharing. Go forward if these conditions are met!
Thank you for reading our article on private VS public recognition.
You can learn about more types of praise by reading our article called 6 Types Of Employee Recognition.
