AI will transform employee recognition into a personalised journey

The future of employee recognition will “be a personalised journey for individuals” with artificial intelligence (AI) playing a key role, Dan Kelly, CR Worldwide Global Development Director, has said.

He said AI will be used to “help HR teams get to know employees on an individual basis and create rewards that are more personalised for them.”

Dan has made the statement as CR Worldwide – a multi-award-winning B2B technology and services company, which provides incentive programmes and rewards – launches its animated timeline: The evolution of employee recognition.

The Global Development Director has said employee recognition, which is the positive acknowledgement of hard work and good performance, will become “heavily focused on the individual” in the next few years. By implementing AI, employers and HR teams will have the ability to use the technology to tailor rewards to an employee considering factors such as their specific interests and browsing behaviour. As a result, individuals will be more motivated and incentivised to progress in a company and develop in their role.

The animated timeline shows how employee recognition has developed and changed since trade unions were legalised in 1871, highlighting key dates of developments up to the present day and beyond. It illustrates how companies have done more to recognise the efforts of their employees and motivate them over time, as new government schemes have been introduced, such as annual leave.

As well as looking at the history of employee recognition, the timeline also looks at the future. This includes the idea that AI will be used to help make recognition more personalised, with rewards tailored to take motivation to the next level. In line with this, CR Worldwide has also published the article, Thinking about the future of employee recognition, which explains more about the role AI will play in the coming years

Dan said: “Our animated timeline shows how employee recognition has changed over the last 140-plus years, and will continue to evolve. It has gone from recognising employees’ efforts as a whole or group, like the Cadbury’s workers’ village of 1895, through to becoming much more about the individual. Allowing a dedicated employee to work from home, for example, or take leave to look after a new pet.

“When considering the future, AI will transform employee recognition into a personalised journey for individuals,” he said. “The next few years will see it become heavily focused on the individual, in which AI will be used to tailor rewards to an individuals’ interests as a way to better motivate and incentivise each employee.

“AI will help HR teams get to know employees on an individual basis. For example, simple data algorithms will analyse individual demographics and map these against typical behaviors to offer more personalised activity suggestions or reward goals,” he added.