Why Work Recognition May be Better for Employers than Employees

This episode explores how recognition at work can benefit both employees and employers by boosting morale and enhancing company reputation.

1. Recognition improves employee engagement and reduces turnover.
2. Both formal and informal recognitions are valuable for sustaining a positive workplace culture.
3. Recognition practices can reflect a company's values and significantly impact its brand.
4. Peer-to-peer recognition and acknowledging emotional intelligence are crucial but often overlooked.
5. Monetary and non-monetary recognitions have different impacts, and a mix of both can be beneficial.

1: Introduction

Hosts discuss their backgrounds and introduce the topic of workplace recognition. Aileen Merciel: "Corporate PTSD. But being in the deep corporate end made me a better professional."

2: The Power of Recognition

Exploration of different types of recognition and their impacts on employee morale and employer brand. Glenda Pachinens: "When companies spend just 1% of payroll on recognition, 85% notice a positive impact on engagement."

3: Practical Applications

Discussion on implementing recognition in daily corporate life, including both fun and formal methods. Aileen Merciel: "It's not just about achieving sales goals; rewarding attitudes speaks volumes about a culture."

4: Conclusion

Reflections on the personal importance of recognition and future plans for the podcast. Glenda Pachinens: "Being recognized feels great, whether you're giving it or receiving it."

1. Implement both formal and informal recognition programs in your workplace.
2. Acknowledge small wins and positive attitudes daily.
3. Consider peer-to-peer recognition programs to build team spirit.
4. Use awards and public acknowledgments to highlight significant achievements.
5. Mix fun elements into recognition practices to keep them engaging.

We discuss our latest updates (we go full LinkedIn-style bragging about our recent 2024 Ambie Nomination), we talk about our new podcast partners, and we dive deep into what studies says about work recognition, and how this practice can substantially employee behavior and employer brands.

People

Aileen Merciel, Glenda Pachinens, Michelle Oban

Companies

Airwave Media, Paramount

Content Warnings:

None

Aileen Merciel

You're listening to an airwave media podcast.

Hello there. This is surfing corporate, the podcast that helps you navigate tricky corporate waters. I'm Aileen Merciel, a former SVP of marketing and creative with a 20 plus year career in the media industry. And I'm Glenda Pachinens, a former SVP of strategy and content from the media industry as well. Eileen and I worked together for four beautiful, wonderful years, and we definitely faced countless corporate challenges.

Glenda Pachinens

Wins, wipeouts, the whole spectrum, you name it. And we lived to tell the tale. We did. But not unscathed. Not entirely.

Aileen Merciel

I definitely have corporate PTSD. Corporate PTSD. But I will say, being thrown into the deep end of the corporate pool, having zero innate political skills, working for large corporations did make me a much better professional. You, on the other hand, Glenda, you were born. Born to be a corporate executive from the womb.

Glenda Pachinens

Yes. I came out of the womb wearing. Heels and saying, it's a pleasure to meet y'all. I'm honored to be with you. Circle back.

Well, not exactly. Let's not say that either. But I will say I was a little more comfortable in the corporate environment than you were. I live. Yeah, some very nice way.

Aileen Merciel

Nice way of saying that.

Okay, so it's been a minute since we dropped a new episode, so we are thrilled to be back to share some updates with all our listeners and fans. Because after several months on hiatus, we are back. We've dusted off our mics, and we are ready to bring you up to speed with the latest and greatest updates about surfing corporate. And there are some great updates about surfing corporate. Indeed.

Glenda Pachinens

Starting with the fact that you may have noticed that new intro at the beginning of this episode that mentioned that we are now part of the airwave podcast network. Yes, people, we are thrilled to announce that it's official. Surfing Corporate has partnered with a major podcast network.

Aileen Merciel

Linda, all that rubbing of crystals you did worked. Manifesting to the universe worked. It's not just rubbing the crystals, Eileen. It's charging the crystals. Having them properly saged.

Glenda Pachinens

It takes a lot more than just rubbing, Aileen. I'm just going to leave it at that. I assume so, because it's taken four years.

You're not wrong. You're definitely not wrong. All jokes aside, we are thrilled to join airwave Media, a network that is home to many incredible podcasts. So, for those of you who are listening, for the first time today, our pod surfing corporate is about unveiling what actually goes on behind corporate doors with research and lightning stats, lots of humor, and many relatable true stories from people deep, deep in the corporate trenches. Deep, deep.

That was great. Yes. We are so excited, and we definitely want to welcome our new listeners from across the airwave community and beyond. Now, this airwave partnership just happened last week, and we're hoping that this is the beginning of a wonderful, fruitful, and mutually beneficial relationship. Oh, wait, so you know what, Glenda?

Aileen Merciel

Actually, now that you say that so beautifully, I thought this moment required an announcement by, you know, a professional. Wait, so that wasn't good enough for you? Is that what you're saying? Well, I mean, it's good enough for you. Gee, thanks.

Much better than what I would do, clearly. But you know what? There are people who dedicate their entire careers to doing things like these, you know, corporate comms professionals that can really deliver powerful, moving statements. So I reached out to one of those people, Michelle Oban, who is the vp of corporate comms and social impact at Paramount. Here goes.

Michelle Oban

Press release for immediate release March 12, 2024. Surfing Corporate, the popular podcast that humorously dives into the murky waters of corporate life, is thrilled to announce its partnership with Airwave Media, a curated podcast network for the constantly curious listener. This exciting collaboration will elevate surfing corporate to new heights as one of Airwave's leading shows. Hosted by Eileen Merciel and Glenda Pachinance, former media executives with a wicked sense of humor, surfing corporate delves into the nitty gritty of corporate existence. Eileen and Glenda share relatable, hilarious, and sometimes horrifying real life stories.

Expect witty banter, practical advice, and a fresh perspective on the corporate grind. Whether you're a seasoned executive or a newbie navigating the cubicle maze, surfing corporate promises to be your go to broadcast for laughs, insights, and survival strategies. Okay, Michelle understood the assignment. Yeah. That's just whole other level pr.

Aileen Merciel

Such a pro. Such a pro. And with that sexy voice. So it doesn't get much better than that. Thank you, Michelle Alban.

You rock. You're amazing. I know. Seriously. And as if that wasn't huge news enough that surfing corporate is part of the airwave podcast network, we actually have another bit of news, and it's actually tied to the fact that we are now part of the airwave podcast network.

Glenda Pachinens

Because you see, as many of you know, the first quarter of every year is typically award season in the entertainment industry. We had the Golden Globes, the Emmys, you know, since it was pushed from September because of the strike. And I. Da da, we had it in January. We had the Grammys.

And just this weekend, we had the Oscars, which are the highest recognition given to films by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Well, it so happens that there is a podcast academy. Yes, there is an actual podcast academy. They have their awards, too, and they're called the Ambis. And guess who is nominated for best indie podcast for the Ambys?

Aileen Merciel

Surfing corporate.

Glenda Pachinens

Anytime I hear that, I read it or I hear you say it, nominated for best indie podcast. What the hell? We're so honored. We really, really, truly are. I mean, we're laughing and we're excited, but this really, truly is an amazing recognition.

And it's because of our nomination that we got on the radar of some pretty important people in the podcast world, among them the chief content officer of Airway. And now here we are. That Ambie nomination really did open doors for us. And just so you get a sense of the caliber of podcasts that have won or been nominated for Amby's, here are a few business wars from Wondery Ted. Talk radio hour from NPR, slow burn from Slate today explained from Vox Media.

Aileen Merciel

The problem with Jon Stewart, the McKenzie podcast heavyweight from Gimlet Media, wiser than. Me with Julia Louis Dreyfus by Lemonade Media. Conan O'Brien needs a friend by Team. Coco and HBO's the Last of us. I mean, that is quite the list.

And surfing, corporate from surfing corporate, produced, edited and mixed on my computer in my tiny room and a tiny room in my house. Talk about an esteemed group of podcasts that we're in. Has it hit you? Honestly? Come on, tell me.

Glenda Pachinens

Has it hit you yet? I don't think it's been fully processed, but, like, for the first day it was. I kept on looking at the email and then being like, is this real? Is this a scam? I'm still processing, but I am so, so happy.

I know. And that's why we wanted to come back and share this little check in with you guys, our audience, our fans, because Fryleen and I, we've talked so much about the fact that this is a passion project, but to be recognized not only by our listeners and our friends and our peers, which we've heard from. And you guys, your feedback is still so amazing to read and hear. But now to be recognized by the actual academy that recognizes excellence in audio is mind blowing. And Glenda and I will be going to LA for the live ceremony, which is just like the Oscars.

Totally. I mean, twinsies, red carpet. Are you wearing a super long dress with sequins? And have you picked out like your designer super mega fancy heels. Of course we have to take a picture of you.

Whatever. Get up. You actually do end up wearing. Count on that. And like the diamonds.

Yes. Harry Winston, stop knocking on my door. I am not gonna wear your jewels. I'm not gonna do it. No.

Aileen Merciel

Anyway, we're up against other indie podcasts that have truly, truly an amazing production level. They have full teams of editors, mixers, producers, writers, and we don't. So just the fact that we are nominated with these folks is as cliche as this may sound. It is mind blowing, and it's truly, truly an honor. We are so, so flattered.

Yes. So I think our amazing team of editor, producer, sound mixer, researcher, writer, co host, Eileen Merciel needs a round of applause. So I think you need to insert right now this big hurrah.

And, of course, Steph, our intern who joined the last season, and she's been amazing. Yes, absolutely. But, yeah, we are definitely nimble. Nimble. Very nimble team.

Glenda Pachinens

As nimble as it gets. But before we go on, let's do a quick shout out to our fellow nominees in the best indie podcast category. We've started listening to them. They really are amazing. So, guys, hear them, listen to them, support them.

The first nominee in the category, along with us, is abandoned, the All American Ruins podcast. Glenda, it's award season. You need to get into the vibe of how you read, you know, when the nominees are read. Oh, you mean like, I'm a. Like, I'm a vo.

Actual announcer who gets paid a hundred, like, a ton of money? Yes. Come on. I'm gonna put music and stuff for this, so please get into character. Oh, my God.

Okay. Abandoned, the all American Ruins podcast. Beef with Bridget Todd. Dragon cast home of the house of the Dragon. The nocturnists.

Aileen Merciel

Wait for it. Is that better? Are you happy? I am very proud of you, Glenda. I knew you had it in you.

So best of luck to all of them, and we really hope to meet all of you face to face in LA at the awards ceremony.

I'd love to say that, you know, recognition really isn't that important and that I don't need that kind of external validation, Glenda, but I'd be lying. Yes, you would. And this whole thing and this nomination really got both of us thinking about this theme. You know, what it means to be recognized at work. And there are companies that do a great job at giving their employees shoutouts and giving them the recognition publicly.

And there are others that, well, to put it in corporate words, have lots of room for improvement. So when a company has formal and informal recognition mechanisms, and not only boosts employee morale, but also it increases the employer brand as well. So really it's a win win. Absolutely. And we found an article by betterup that states that there are different types of recognition, informal recognition, which is simply acknowledging someone when they do a great job.

Glenda Pachinens

You know, your employee nailed a presentation. Say it. They went above and beyond in their work. Acknowledge it. It's that easy.

People, come on. We all know that, you know, a few kind words go a long way, and it really does help build a trust relationship with your employees. Now, there's also formal recognition. And different organizations have these embedded in their structure where things like once a month, once a quarter, once a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, employees are publicly recognized for things that embody the values of a company or whatever, something along those lines. It usually comes from, you know, the top leadership of the company.

I think we need to do our surfing corporate stats Tai Mailly. What do you think?

Aileen Merciel

It stats time.

Glenda Pachinens

We love our stats on this podcast. What can I tell you? So, research done by Quantum workforce found that organizations with formal employee recognition programs have 31% less voluntary turnover than organizations that don't have any program at all. And they're twelve times more likely to have strong business outcomes. In addition to this, when employees believe they will be recognized, they are 2.7 times more likely to be highly engaged.

And when companies spend just 1% or more of payroll on recognition, a whopping 85% notice a positive impact on engagement. This last stat is from SHRM Global Forest Employee recognition survey. And those stats are around formal recognition programs actually created by companies. Then of course, there's also peer to peer recognition, where employees can nominate coworkers for their achievements. But for this to happen, it really has to be embedded in the culture.

Aileen Merciel

And you know that you feel that it's good to recognize other people and give them validation. And it's not like cutthroats. Like, I'm not gonna say anything because then that's gonna overshadow me. Blah. When it's embedded in the culture, it works.

And it's pretty awesome. Absolutely. Okay, so going back to the workforce article, which, which as always, we'll include in our show notes, it mentions something that I haven't seen in other articles, which is, in addition to recognizing a strong performance in employees, it's really good to also recognize attitudes, positive attitudes. And I love this because it's not just about, you did a great job on that deck, or you got you know, you achieve your sales metrics, but it can also be with really simple things. Well, actually, with things that are more related to emotional intelligence in the workplace.

For example, something as simple as, you know what, you're strong. Your positive attitude makes hard times a lot better because there are people like that. You, Glenda, you're kind of like that. I am not. But, you know, you have your people that you're like, having the worst day challenge, fight.

And there's somebody that has that ability to calm things down and calm you down. That is an amazing skill to have. So if you have an employee or co worker that does that, like say it, recognize it, or, for example, that was a tough meeting, and I know what x said was really difficult to hear, and yet you replied with grace. You handle that extremely well. Emotional intelligence is a really important skill to have, and you are setting a great example for the team.

No, I think that's fantastic. It's so valid. It's really valid, because when you talk about employee recognition or recognition programs, you normally think about the ones that were, like, listing based on this research that we did. And those are absolutely true. Yes, but those are more formal things.

Glenda Pachinens

And here you're talking about something that's just a way to implement on a day to day basis and get into the habit of recognizing somebody's attitude or perspective or, you know, the way they show up to the office or the workplace that helps things be better. Right. And I think that if you just start to do that, it just helps set a culture, like you were saying before, where people not only feel that they can celebrate others easily, but you also make it a place where that's important, whether it's a formal recognition, you know, in a big program or as part of a big company wide meeting or whatever, or whether it's pulling them aside or just saying, hey, you did awesome today. I think, actually there should be formal recognitions for things like this, for emotional intelligence in the workplace, for handling difficult situations, difficult interpersonal situations, and being the person that navigates that well. Again, the emotional, the emotional part of corporate is not acknowledged enough.

Aileen Merciel

There should be a formal recognition about that, not just now. Let's start a petition. Let's do gold stars in the workplace. You get a gold star. Don't diminish it.

Don't diminish it. It's not diminishing at all. Listen, I thrived on stickers all throughout my very elementary middle school years. All I needed was a sticker on my paper. Are you really advocating for stickers I love stickers.

Glenda Pachinens

Anything that shows, listen, I see you. I'm celebrating you. But the point is to celebrate someone in a way that doesn't have to be so over the top also can go a long way to having somebody feel seen and having somebody feel valued. My point is it doesn't have to be always metrics oriented. Yes, that is my point because the metrics culture is about, you know, competitiveness.

Aileen Merciel

So when you are rewarding, not only achieving, you know, performing the sales goals or performing the ratings, you're rewarding attitudes. I think that speaks volumes about a culture. So I don't know. I'm very fixated on this because I think it's not rewarded enough. I agree.

Glenda Pachinens

And I mean, listen, I'm all for metrics and you know me. Yes, I am more corporate. So I know that from a business perspective, you do have to have, especially if there's like a monetary recognition, and we're going to get into that in a second. But if you're tying some big monetary prize or a war, then there has to be something specific around it. But what you're saying is absolutely true as well.

And I think those two can coexist perfectly well. But back to recognition because obviously, last but definitely not least, there's monetary recognition. And these are usually part of big corporate programs where managers nominate employees and the amount of money they suggest to be awarded goes up to some higher up or some HR person and they say yay or nay. And this is usually notified in a big ceremony or some email that goes to the entire company or some really big formal way so that the employee feels the value of getting this, you know, monetary prize. Yeah, yeah.

Aileen Merciel

It's, it's, it's a big deal. And then, of course, like the ultimate, the ultimate recognition that we, we've been made very aware of is the pizza party. Can't go anywhere without a pizza party. Come on. Like, we started in school, like, and I know, I remember when I went to school, like, if it was pizza party day, wow, it's a big deal.

Glenda Pachinens

I guess we just grew up, up and transferred that to corporate culture. We never grew out of that. All jokes aside, creating a culture of recognition and taking the time to set up programs like this isn't hard and it makes a huge difference. So if you are in a leadership position, be an advocate for making these programs happen regularly. Absolutely.

And if you're an employee, be an advocate for yourself and the staff. If these types of programs don't exist in your company, maybe suggest it to your boss. Or to HR. Use the info. This is great for employee morale.

Aileen Merciel

It builds trust in the employer. It builds employer brand. So you have tools. It's not just like I want to be recognized, which in itself is legitimate, but, you know, depending on your leadership, you can throw out a few things here and there that may help them see it as a business win. Just saying.

Glenda Pachinens

Good advocating. All jokes aside, creating a culture of recognition and taking the time to set up programs like this, this isn't hard, and it makes a huge difference.

Aileen Merciel

And I just wanted to say, like, in one of the companies that I work for, the brand was, it was driven by humor. Surprise, surprise. It was Sony Entertainment networks for Latin America. And the whole thing that we created was the Sony Awards. And we would have categories as, you know, the Poi that comes in late every day, the boss that, you know, loses their shit.

Da da da da da da. And we did a whole ceremony, like, we bought, like, these cheap ass statues and, like, painted them over the bronze color and the gold color, and we had a whole outing and that we rented whatever the space it was. I don't know if it was a restaurant or like a hotel room. And there was a whole ceremony to acknowledge, like, the most messed up, like a mix of both. Right?

So there was, like, honest recognitions and then making stuff funny. I was gonna say, wait, but was this just like, tongue in cheek awards, funny awards or, like, actual real things? No, no, no. There was actual recognition, but mixed with funny stuff. So it wouldn't have that sense of, like, it doesn't, I don't know, it doesn't get, like, kind of cringey.

So it's a mix of formal recognition but having fun. And if you won one of those awards, you felt really proud. It was like a big deal, and you would display it on your office. Like, that was the ultimate validation of working in that networks, and it was just like, lots of fun to see, like, the higher ups be fully invested in this and be part of the joke. And we gave them, like, trophies that were super silly and whatnot, and they would be active participants in this.

So that's awesome. Yeah. There are ways people, even if, you know, you're a small company that doesn't have tons of money to give out, put in creativity, make it personal, make it, you know, make it tailored to the audience and employees that you're working with. Nice.

Glenda Pachinens

Being recognized feels great. Whether it's you're giving the recognition to somebody else or you're the recipient of a recognition, it's really, really great, because it does go a long way, especially at these times, right. That, you know, it's kind of a rough time out there. You know, people are having a rough time, whether it's at work or, you know, looking for work or wherever it is in their careers that they are. It's just.

It's nice. And we are incredibly thankful for our Amy nomination. And if you're curious and want to learn more about the Amby's or see what other pods are nominated and the different categories, we'll have a link to that in our show notes. Absolutely. And on a final note, we wanted to let you know that we'll be popping in here and there with new episodes.

We don't have specific state yet. We're working that out, but we will absolutely keep you posted. You can also follow our surfing corporate Instagram account for some entertaining posts about workplace survival. You will not regret it. Absolutely.

Join our community of more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.

Aileen Merciel

Surfing corporate is produced and edited and sound designed by me, is always here in my tiny office in my house. From Mill Valley, California, with love, baby. And always made better by the notes of the queen of corporate and slayer of mediocrity, Glenda Pachkanens. And our amazing intern is Stephanie Hill, the sucker. Can I tell you that one of my favorite parts of the pod is how you decide to intro me at the end of every episode?

Glenda Pachinens

It's like the running gag. I'm like, okay, what else is she gonna say this time? Slayer mediocrity. I would put that on your LinkedIn. This has been so much fun.

Stay tuned and stay safe out there, corporate surfers. Hang in there.

Aileen Merciel

Hang in there.