Studies show that nearly 75 percent of American employers operate employee recognition programs. In fact, organizations spend a whopping $46 billion a year to recognize employees for everything from good performance to job longevity. Yet a recent Gallup poll shows that only 30 percent of employees nationwide describe themselves as engaged.Clearly, that’s a huge disconnect. The solution to closing the gap? To use a clothing metaphor, organizations need to focus less on a generic, one-size-fits-all approach and more on rewards tailored toward the things that make employees feel purposeful, important and significant, says Kathie Sorensen, an employee and management development
