At this time of great resignations, employee recognition is more important than ever. It lets employees know that their contributions lead to organizational success and increases their motivation to be more productive. It also increases employee loyalty to the organization and, especially today, that is vital!

Here are some tips on how to become a better recognizer of your employees:

1. Let employees know your expectations. Be specific. When leaders emphasize their expectations from the start, employees feel empowered to fulfill the expectations.

2. Make the recognition personal. Be specific about what they did right. Consider sending handwritten “thank you” cards to their homes so that families can know and support what your employees do.

3. Showcase individual efforts and accomplishments in newsletters, memos and e-mails. Don’t recognize the same people repeatedly.

4. Recognize the behaviors that drive your values. This allows you to showcase behaviors that support your values and takes the values from being “words on a piece of paper” to real motivators. This also helps others see the importance of your values.

5. Make a commitment to use a variety of opportunities to recognize your people. Express recognition during meetings, in the hallway, or even the parking lot and restroom! Recognize employees for their hard work and awesome efforts. Let them know that they did a good job and that you are aware of what they are doing.

6. Identify how your employees prefer to be recognized. Some employees prefer to be recognized privately, while others prefer public recognition. Identify which form of recognition would be most impactful for each person and do it that way. Remember, it is not what you want or like, but rather what they prefer.

7. Encourage employees to recognize each other. Sometimes, peer feedback and recognition can be extremely meaningful. Recognize those who recognize others!