Building a Recognition Culture: How Do You Approach It?
Dellafaille & Co is now a successful independent insurance office in Schoten. A few years ago, this was far from a given, as two offices had to merge. There was a negative atmosphere, cliques had formed, and team spirit was lacking.
Managing Director Annick Van Campen took the initiative to create a new culture. Today, that positive culture is firmly in place, and people enjoy coming to work. Clients notice it too. This is the result of an intensive collaboration with Arteel.
“We now regularly receive compliments from clients about the great atmosphere in our office.”
Annick Van Campen, Managing Director, Dellafaille & Co
The First Step: Focusing on Company Values
Dellafaille & Co first thoroughly defined their core values. They established what their company stands for and what they want to communicate to clients and employees. Based on these core values, Annick, together with Arteel, launched the recognition program.
“We started with a workshop on our core values to immediately engage our employees.”
Annick Van Campen, Managing Director, Dellafaille & Co
Step Two: Linking Desired Behavior to Values
In a second workshop, employees became more aware of why these values are important, how they can embody them in their own behavior, and the impact this has on the success of the organization — both internally and externally.
“We saw enthusiastic employees immediately embrace the new approach for a positive culture and valuing each other, but there was also a group who felt uncomfortable at first. Fortunately, that phase is completely behind us, and now everyone is fully on board.”
Phase 3: Arteel’s Recognition Platform Keeps the Positive Culture Alive
New employees receive a “shower of compliments” from everyone after two months of service. This is just one example of initiatives that make recognition a habit. The engine driving the culture is the platform itself.
How does the recognition platform work?
When employees want to recognize a colleague or team for positive behavior, they link it to one of the company’s core values. This allows them to earn points, which can be redeemed for a gift, an experience, or even a charitable donation from an extensive online catalog. Employees can choose something for themselves, a loved one, or the entire team. It’s a form of gamification that makes recognition fun and motivating for everyone.
