Understanding Employee Reward vs. Recognition: Key Differences

Your employees will require much more than simply a paycheck to be completely pleased with their work. Offering a competitive salary is vital for attracting the best teaching candidates in your institute, but if you want to draw in and keep high-performing staff, you also need to have a program that covers rewards and recognition. However, a lot of professionals make the mistake of believing these two terms to be synonymous. It's crucial to first separate these two phrases and pinpoint their primary differences in order to maximize the effectiveness of your institute’s employee incentive and recognition programs.

What is a reward for employees?

A gift or prize presented to an employee in recognition of their achievements as educators is known as an employee reward. Employee awards are frequently given by school administrators when their staff accomplishes a certain milestone or goal. Employee awards frequently come in the form of something material, such as a catered lunch or a gift card. 

What does employee recognition mean?

An employee is recognized for their work performance by receiving public appreciation. It is a formal thank you from higher authorities, supervisor, or coworker to an employee. Professionals can acknowledge employees during meetings, via emails, or through another kind of communication intended to reach the entire institution.

What Separates Reward and Recognition

The misuse of the phrases reward and recognition in today's organizational culture has led to several semantic ambiguities. Both are crucial and work together to draw in and keep high-performing educators.  Both of these terms must be separated in order to understand what they mean, and their distinctions as well as advantages must be listed. That is what this post sets out to do.

• Rewards are considered physical, whilst recognition or acknowledgment is considered intangible

Rewards are typically tangible objects that you can touch, feel, and enjoy. Rewards may also have a set value. On the other hand, recognition is unseen in nature and has an immeasurable worth. One can be honoured without bestowing a prize. But you should never offer someone a reward without also praising them.

• While recognition is relational, rewards are transactional 

Rewards are always given with the condition that you must do 'X' before receiving 'Y'. On the other hand, recognition has more to do with the interpersonal exchange of relations. While incentives may be excellent for drawing individuals to any institution for teaching jobs, retention experts believe that recognition is essential.

• Rewards are ingested, and recognition is felt

An award is used up or devoured when it is given to someone. When someone is noticed, it is more of a truly intimate encounter that stays in the memory forever. You will be able to address the particular differences and application by carefully balancing the two.

• Rewards can be transferred, unlike recognition, which cannot

Rewards are typically transient in nature, so you can give them to other people. On the other hand, recognition is of a permanent character and cannot be transferred from one person to another. You must develop the ability to balance the two by emphasising acknowledgment and pairing it with a material reward.

• Recognition is unconditional whereas rewards are conditional 

Rewards are governed by consequences and are subject to a number of restrictions and conditions. Recognition has an independent nature and is not a predetermined result of a certain action or behaviour. The secret is to have the ability to utilise discernment when choosing between rigidity and flexibility.

• People typically expect rewards, however they are often surprised by recognition

When someone performs well, they enter a state of expectancy that they might win something. When it comes to recognition, a person is unaware of it until they unexpectedly receive it. Never disappoint someone by withholding a merited prize from them. In reality, you need to embrace spontaneity in your behaviour and show others how much you value them every day.

• While acknowledgment or recognition is emotive, rewards are practical

Reward offers a discrete and deliberate use of resources in this entire economy of consumption. On the other hand, recognition is more of a psychological and emotional phenomenon. You must realise that although performance can appear to rule, sentiments actually do.

• Rewards are motivated by results, whereas recognition is driven by behaviours

Rewards are a tool for showcasing success and outcomes. Recognition doesn't happen at a specific time. It can happen whenever a peer acknowledges a peer's admirable traits.