Halloween is next weekend which means most workplaces will be having Halloween parties on Friday to celebrate. Does your workplace do anything fun for the holiday? Tell us about it!

Thank you for joining me at today's Recognition TV webisode to talk about peer-to-peer recognition programs! You can watch the complete recorded version on Baudville.com or Baudville’s Facebook page. Several of my tips, ideas and best practices are below, but I recommend you watch the entire video (it’s only about 15 minutes!) to catch everything. 

What is peer-to-peer recognition?
At Baudville, we’ve defined peer-to-peer recognition as the genuine expressions of appreciation between co-workers. Peer-to-peer programs typically equip the entire staff with low-cost tools and give employees the ability to recognize one another without any manager approval. 

I returned to my alma mater the other weekend to celebrate homecoming. It had been two years since I was last on campus, and I enjoyed my time immensely! I got to see good friends, enjoy the campus, and spend time outside in the beautiful Michigan autumn weather. 

Peer-to-peer recognition is a growing trend in companies looking for ways to increase engagement and morale without over burdening managers. In WorldatWork’s 2008 survey, Trends in Employee Recognition, they discovered that 42% of the 554 companies that responded offer peer programs. Of those, 67 percent stated the program's impact on retention was moderate or high. Human Resource Executive also recently wrote an article on the Power of Peer-to-Peer. 

We all love receiving recognition. We just completed Customer Service Week at Baudville, and the entire company enjoyed the thrill of being recognized for our exceptional customer service. Employers typically do a great job recognizing the employees, but often managers get overlooked.