The workplace is a social place. Sure, people show up to work to earn a paycheck, but they stay at a workplace because of the social ecosystem. Why? Because people are social beings. Our DNA is constructed in such a way to make social situations meaningful and important to us.
Because the workplace is a social ecosystem and human beings are social, the use of social reinforcement can have dramatic effects in an organization, both positive and negative.
Social reinforcement is the use of reinforcers such as praise, smiles, recognition, attention and acceptance from colleagues. In the workplace it can be as simple everyday action as your colleagues smiling at you, or something larger such as receiving an award for a job well done. It’s about recognizing an individual’s contributions, no matter how big or small.
Why social reinforcement drives productivity
- People work harder for social reasons than they do monetary reasons
Most people stay at work for reasons such as “I like my manager,” “I like the culture” and “I feel valued” rather than “I’m paid a fair wage.” BI WORLDWIDE’s recent New Rules of Engagement study revealed that ‘feeling your job is meaningful’ is twice as predictive of obligation to work hard as feeling you are paid fairly. The bottom line is people will work harder for the social reinforcement they get at work than they will for a paycheck.
- People work outside of their “financial contract” when social reinforcement is used
Workplaces support both social and financial contracts. A financial contract with our employer is set when we start a new job or at annual performance reviews. Because it changes very little, it tends to set the upper and lower limits of our productivity. In some ways, the financial contract defines our job. But our social contract is less specific. An employee who is receiving social reinforcement is more likely to go above and beyond in their role because they feel socially obligated to do so.
- People work hard to be a part of the team
The social ecosystem is created as we exchange time and energy, favors, recognition, opportunities, and information at work. People who are seen as pleasant and easy to work with are usually the first ones others will do favors for or call on for help. Because of the social contract and the social obligation for reciprocity, people work hard to provide high levels of customer service in their organizations when social reinforcement is used. How many times do we unconsciously decide not to call someone we deem unhelpful and dial up the person we like to help us with our situation? When we have a choice, we choose the person who is most likely to help us solve our problem in the friendliest way possible.
Social reinforcements have a big and positive impact on productivity levels. If you are trying to increase productivity, don’t start by looking at your compensation system; evaluate your company’s social ecosystem.
Learn two strategies to overcome seven common social recognition fears and harness the power of social media as part of your successful recognition strategy by downloading our article.
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