Feeling valued and appreciated is fundamental to our happiness. Recognition of our achievements, both large and small is important to raise happiness levels both for an individual, and within teams. Why else would 65% of employees cite lack of recognition as the number one reason they quit their jobs? Within Forever we understand the value of recognition, it's part of our DNA and often a key factor in why so many are inspired to start their own business journey.

So how and why does recognition affect us in such a profound way?

It's something our brains are hardwired to need. In fact, recognition results in the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain. Dopamine stimulates the parts of the brain (ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens) that process rewards and create positive emotions like satisfaction and enjoyment.

But because the effects of dopamine wear off quite quickly, this means we need to recognise people regularly. Recognition is a short-term need that has to be satisfied on an ongoing basis. How often should we recognise someone? Well, it varies from individual to individual, but weekly praise (sincere and specific) for small achievements is suggested by Gallup while more significant recognitions for larger achievements can be made monthly. These are not hard and fast rules and it would be fair to add that flexibility is important. Catch people doing things well and praise them quickly. It could be a call, an email or a WhatsApp message but don't keep it one to one, why not mention them in a group WhatsApp or in your Facebook group or whatever platform your team comes together. A team video meeting would be a perfect way to celebrate someone. Sometimes in life the big things are the little things – thank you and praise goes a long way. People are seldom made happy by financial reward alone.

Be sensitive to individual team members' needs. Many people join Forever to escape being a cookie-cutter employee where everyone is the same. Not everyone will develop their business at the same rate, they will have individual goals and have different commitments, they will have different levels of motivation and amounts of time to develop their businesses. People develop skills at different rates and have different levels of confidence with different aspects of the business, some may love retail but shy away from recruiting. By the same token not everyone wants to be recognised in the same way; respect these differences and work with them.

Studies show that recognition directly impacts our motivation. The top three de-motivators are; feeling undervalued, lack of recognition, and in case you're interested in the third de-motivator; it's having a bad manager.

Feeling de-motivated impacts us in the following ways (in order of priority):

1. Our mood declines (worsens)

2. We become less productive

3. Our mental health is impacted (declines)

4. The quality of what we do (our work) declines

5. The quality of our diet declines (we make poor choices)

That's a pretty powerful list and it's easy to see how all of the above have far reaching effects on our happiness and the overall quality of our lives both personally and professionally. In a recognition culture, 31% less people leave and let's not underestimate the power of recognition by fellow team members rather than just from our uplines. Peer-to-peer recognition is 35.7% more likely to have a positive impact than just top down recognition, so encouraging team members to recognise and praise one another is important too.

Keep the joy - if you'd like to learn more and explore some ideas on how to recognise team members check out an earlier blog.