Slack is a workplace communication tool worth over $20 billion. It's popularity has been largely fueled by its ability to adapt to user needs quickly and its slick, user-friendly design.

Maybe your company just did an employee engagement survey that came back with concerning results. Or perhaps the organization recently expanded, causing a greater need for tracking employee recognition digitally. Whatever your reason is, it can be intimidating when you first dive into the world of employee recognition.

Remote working comes with its benefits, and it also comes with a host of challenges. Depending on factors such as childcare, office space, and other logistical considerations, remote working can become a lot more complicated than it might initially sound in fun articles on future generations.

Employee engagement has been getting a lot of attention recently. From the well-known Gallup survey to articles in Forbes and beyond, it's a topic that has infiltrated the world of business. And for good reason, too.

Engaged employees have been shown to perform better, be less likely to quit, and be happier and more motivated. For companies, this translates into higher profitability with the same number of employees. It's a win-win.

Depending on where you work, the attitude towards recognition programs and employee engagement can range significantly. While some company leaders continue to believe that simply paying their employees is enough, a steady stream of modern research says otherwise. Rather than financial incentives, it's appreciation and the intrinsic motivation that comes from it that leads to optimal employee engagement and performance.

Let's jump into four of the most impactful benefits of peer-to-peer appreciation and what you can do to start getting those benefits today!

With the frequency that we hear the terms "diversity" and "inclusion" today, it's fair to say these concepts have made their way into mainstream conversation. No longer confined to the Human Resources department, workplace diversity and inclusion are becoming key topics when discussing an overarching business strategy.

Inspiration for Complimenting Your Coworkers

As we know, employee recognition is one of the most important areas to keep up with in the workplace; it can help with many companies' greatest concerns such as diversity and inclusion and employee motivation. Most of all, recognition feeds employee engagement, which leads to more employee happiness.

Whether you're a business leader, student, or mid-level employee, you probably want to feel confident and be successful. Generally, leaders are already fairly confident and are trying to encourage their teams so they feel more self-assured. On the other hand, many individuals still grapple with a lack of self-confidence.

No matter who you are, understanding the connection between recognition and confidence will help you find success. 

Whether it be in the office or at school, people tend to think financial incentives would make them and their team work harder. If only they could get paid directly for putting in that extra effort, and perhaps their overall motivation and performance would improve as a result. And sometimes, especially when the reward is big enough, that is what happens. The opportunity to earn more money for improved performance presents itself, and thus, performance improves.

In the American workplace, there’s a traditional idea that the best way to praise an employee is strictly through financial rewards - employees receive a regular paycheck, what more could they need? It can even go so far as to say employees who receive recognition in the form of written or oral praise will get “soft” overtime.