The Kudos program is essential for constructing connection and camaraderie for the corporate’s distributed workforce.
Worker recognition is an important aspect of nice workplaces.
Scaling these efforts can pose a quandary for firms with advanced operations. After all, workers like to get plaudits from the CEO, however what occurs if you end up a world firm with a distributed workforce?
For Atlassian, makers of collaboration software program Jira, Confluence, Trello, and extra, the reply was to make sure that everybody may acknowledge a colleague for a job well-done by way of their recognition program, Kudos.
Peer recognition has a number of advantages:
“Typically Kudos consequence from going above and past, or transport a challenge they’ve been engaged on for months,” says Gina Creegan, world head of expertise operations. “This system is all about how we’re working collectively and offering people the chance to share gratitude for staff members who’re dwelling our values.”
The Kudos program is owned by Atlassian’s “Group Anyplace” division, which is liable for enabling the worldwide distributed-first workforce. Workers have the selection to work 100% remotely, which has seen 54% of workers employed within the final 12 months dwell 2-plus hours from an Atlassian workplace.
The corporate doesn’t anticipate staff to have a typical 9-to-5 workday, however moderately prioritizes flexibility to fulfill the wants of labor and private life duties throughout a number of time zones. Workers should preserve collaborative hours that overlap with members of their staff — 4 being the minimal — to make sure efficient workflows.
This larger flexibility implies that workers might need fewer touchpoints with the group. Direct managers develop into essential facilitators and colleagues play an excellent larger position in making a office the place everybody feels a way of belonging — a part of why peer recognition has develop into more and more very important for preserving Atlassian’s values.
“This program reinforces that all of us have an vital position to play in dwelling the values in our day-to-day work,” says Creegan. “Kudos helps to spice up connections throughout groups and departments.”
Kudos didn’t begin as a program to help distant workers, however the distributed-first firm has transitioned to a totally digital reward card providing which has been immensely fashionable, in line with Atlassian.
“This system is extra fashionable than ever earlier than because it has by no means been simpler to acknowledge your fellow Atlassian, irrespective of the place they work,” Creegan says.
Packages like Kudos and the efforts of Group Anyplace are liable for Atlassian’s massive bounce ahead on the 2023 Fortune Finest Corporations to Work For® Listing, bettering 40 spots from No. 47 in 2022 to No. 7 this yr.
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How this system works
A staff member selects the Atlassian Worth which they’re nominating their peer for and submits with a brief observe utilizing JIRA Service Desk about why their colleague deserves recognition. Those that are acknowledged normally obtain a digital reward voucher, however nominators can even request as an alternative of a voucher, a donation is made to “Room to Learn” — one in every of Atlassian’s charity companions.
Workers can even nominate their colleagues for “Huge Kudos” for demonstrating management throughout advanced, high-impact initiatives, which a supervisor then should approve.
“Our intention is that it is a high-trust, employee-driven program,” says Creegan. “During the last yr, nearly 95,000 Kudos had been awarded, with greater than 2,500 donations made.”
Incentivizing participation
How does Atlassian get such sturdy participation in this system?
The Kudos behavior is about early.
“As a part of our Day 1 Orientation for all ‘Newlassians,’ our Kudos program is launched with people inspired to arrange a reminder to ship Kudos within the first couple of weeks to somebody who has supported their onboarding,” Creegan says. “This units up sturdy adoption early on.”
Atlassian additionally credit the success of its program with conserving issues easy. The nomination course of is simple, with easy standards for the popularity. Fewer boundaries for participation ensures extra workers take part.
And, like all profitable enterprise program, Kudos is rigorously measured.
“The Office Expertise staff has developed dashboards for individuals managers to have visibility of their direct report’s exercise,” Creegan says. Managers can use this monitoring to encourage staff members to supply recognition throughout quarterly check-ins.
A successful recipe
Nice Place To Work® analysis has proven the significance of recognition, not just for workers to thrive, however for firms to realize their bold enterprise objectives. When each worker feels valued and revered as a full member of the staff, firms are extra resilient when confronted with financial downturns.
When workers are acknowledged, they’re 2.6 occasions extra prone to suppose promotions are honest and a couple of.2 occasions extra prone to say modern pondering is embraced.
Efficiency on lists just like the 100 Finest Corporations to Work For is not only a measure of worker expertise. Corporations that make the checklist outperform the inventory market by an element of greater than three.
Ideas for achievement
Regardless of the success of peer recognition, Atlassian says it shouldn’t take the place of conventional recognition from managers and prime leaders.
“Each supervisor recognition and peer-to-peer recognition have a task to play in driving the tradition you need to construct, bettering connection and productiveness,” Creegan says. “One can’t change the opposite.”
Creegan presents some suggestions for different firms constructing their very own peer recognition applications:
1. The thought counts most. Your recognition program doesn’t must be exorbitantly costly, Creegan says. “Most individuals are delighted that you just took the time to acknowledge them — which means as a lot because the small token or reward you give them.”
2. Join recognition to values and behaviors. “Recognition ought to have a transparent line of sight to your organization values and behaviors which are vital to your tradition,” Creegan says.
It additionally creates transparency round “why” a person is being acknowledged. “Folks want to know why you might be thanking them,” Creegan explains.
To make sure workers are fascinated with key values and behaviors when recommending a colleague, Creegan advises making workers choose a worth or habits for recognition as a part of the nomination course of. “For Atlassian, ‘how’ we do work is as vital as ‘what’ work we do,” Creegan says. “We encourage Atlassians to acknowledge how their coworkers get work executed.”
Do your workers really feel acknowledged?
We designed an worker survey – based mostly on 30+ years of finding out worker expertise – to measure and observe ranges of worker recognition, belief, innovation, and extra. Contact us about it in the present day.
