• Decades of research on engagement in the workplace all show the same thing: If people are more motivated at work, they will be more productive and profitable employees.
• Employees crave three things that help them become happier, more motivated contributors to their company's success:
  • Respect: "Help me feel respected for the work I do.”
  • Purpose: "Show me how what I do makes a difference and is relevant to the company."
  • Relationship: "Help me build stronger connections with the people I work with, especially my direct manager."
• While there are lots of ways to drive engagement, recognition is a simple way to hit on all three things. Consistent and thoughtful recognition builds a culture of appreciation where employees can get what they crave and be more engaged – and with improved engagement comes increased performance, less stress, more innovation and better decision-making.

See also: Executive book summary for CRAVE