The research is clear: employee recognition programs boost morale, increase engagement, and improve retention rates. Consider these stats:
- According to Harvard Business Review, employees are 40% more engaged in workplaces with strong recognition programs.
- Deloitte found that “high-recognition companies” have 31% less voluntary turnover among employees.
- Deloitte also tracked 14% increases in employee productivity and performance among businesses with recognition programs.
Recognition matters. Sustainability matters too: A March 2023 Deloitte survey found that 69% of working adults want their employers to make meaningful sustainability investments, while 27% of job-seekers said they consider a potential employer’s efforts to reduce their environmental impact before accepting a job offer.
Given these trends, there’s a strong case to be made for making sustainability a major focus of your recognition program—and that’s exactly what a purpose-built sustainability recognition app can help you do.
Recognition programs: How they work and why they matter
Workplace recognition programs foster a more inspiring and positive workplace culture by acknowledging and celebrating employee successes and achievements. They’re usually designed to reward desirable behaviors with peer-based social recognition, valuable prizes, or both.
Traditionally, recognition programs have focused on productivity-related achievements, like hitting important targets or meeting deadlines. When leveraged effectively, they can generate a big impact for a small cost: Survey Monkey research found that 82% of employees are happier at work when their efforts are recognized.
By adopting a sustainability focus, you can extend your program’s impact beyond your organization by giving your employees a strong, shared sense of social purpose.
Make a difference with a sustainability recognition app
By using a sustainability recognition app, you can translate organizational values into direct, meaningful action—all while making your employees feel appreciated, engaged, and empowered.
Sustainability recognition programs also tell your employees that you care about more than just their output and productivity, and that your organizational focus extends beyond its financial bottom line. This is critically important, especially to the younger labor force participants shaping the workplace cultures of both today and tomorrow.
Pave Commute focuses on one of the most impactful factors in the sustainability equation: the daily commute. It empowers commuters to make smarter, better modal choices when it comes to workplace transportation. As an added benefit, Pave Commute also guides employees toward transportation options that support their physical and mental wellness.
With a sustainability recognition app like Pave Commute, your employees can:
- Bring smart commuting into your workplace culture and inspire others to participate
- Build stronger community and social ties by sharing rides and supporting peers
- Have more fun while making a positive and quantifiable difference
Your organization can also benefit from the positive shift in your workplace environment. Employee recognition not only drives engagement while improving productivity: it also reduces voluntary turnover by boosting retention rates. Given that employee turnover can cost 50% to 200% of the departing person’s salary, sustainability recognition apps can quickly generate a positive ROI.
Many organizations make the mistake of offering vague platitudes about sustainability without taking action to back them up. Employees increasingly see through this, and it can have damaging impacts.
With Pave Commute, you can demonstrate that you have an important social purpose and share your employees’ sustainability values. Clients have seen great results:
- 97% of Pave Commute users say they’re making positive contributions to their employer’s sustainability efforts
- 71% of users receive recognition for their sustainability choices
- 63% of users say they’ve seen a positive change in their workplace culture since they started using Pave Commute
These fantastic outcomes are a major reason why Pave Commute has won accolades from organizations like HR Tech Awards, Fast Company, and the Association for Commuter Transportation.
Sign up your team & try it today
Try Pave Commute with your team free for 30 days. No credit card required.
