'More harm than good' | Staff admit feeling uncomfortable with how they receive workplace recognition

Not all workplace recognition giving is done well according to research by O.C. Tanner, with almost a third of UK employees admitting to feeling uncomfortable with how they are recognised at work.

These insights are from O.C. Tanner’s 2023 Global Culture Report which collected and analysed the perspectives of over 36,000 employees, leaders, HR practitioners, and business executives from 20 countries around the world, including 4,653 from the UK.

The good news is that 66% of UK employees feel appreciated at work with the same number believing that recognition is a crucial part of the workplace community. Unfortunately, not all organisations give recognition well – in a timely and personalised manner and with authenticity.

35% of employees’ state that the recognition they receive is inauthentic and a similar number – 36% – believe it’s meaningless.