Peer-to-Peer Recognition: A School Leaders Ultimate Guide
Edpreciate simplifies peer-to-peer recognition, making sending quick appreciation posts to colleagues easy.
In busy school environments, it's vital to take just a few minutes each week to acknowledge the valuable contributions of staff. This will boost morale and foster a positive workplace culture.
Education can be Tough
The Teacher Wellbeing Index 2023 found that…
- 81% of all education staff experienced at least one symptom of work-related stress
- 78% of all staff are stressed
- 55% of all staff consider their organisations culture has a negative effect on their wellbeing
Workplace culture is where we come in 👍
Remember disengaged staff aren't hired that way. It's a process that happens over time.
You’ll be familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
When one or more of these needs are not met, it affects the majority of the human population personally and professionally.
Even at Edpreciate, we acknowledge that no employer will have 100% of their workforce completely satisfied or always happy. However, research is clear: education can and must do better.
Recognition Matters
Positive emotions increase
Gratitude is strongly linked to happiness, with grateful people reporting higher life satisfaction, optimism, and stronger social connections. At work, giving thanks boosts employee happiness and fosters a positive culture. Research shows that a workplace embracing gratitude increases job satisfaction.
Wellbeing improves
Giving regular recognition not only boosts happiness but also improves health. Grateful people report lower stress, better sleep, and healthier habits. Studies show that gratitude enhances both psychological and physical well-being.
Relationships strengthen and grow
Peer-to-peer recognition fosters deep, personal connections within teams through a process called “find-remind-bind,” which helps create and strengthen key relationships. Regular recognition helps employees form new bonds and reinforce existing ones. O.C. Tanner’s Global Culture Report, found that peer-to-peer recognition boosts the likelihood of a constructive team culture by 2.5x. It also enhances employee connections and psychological safety, making teams more cooperative and less reliant on top-down recognition.
Employees, and organisations, thrive
Gratitude stimulates pro-social behaviours like helping, sharing, and volunteering. As employees recognise each other more often, they become more inclined to assist with projects, share resources, and give back to the community. This creates a positive cycle—grateful employees act more generously, fostering even more gratitude, which strengthens your workplace culture.
Types of Recognition
Peer vs Superior
A senior leader's positive feedback gives staff confidence that their contributions are valued. Peer-to-peer recognition is just as important, as these relationships are pivotal to the day-to-day running of schools. Either way, recognition feels good and has a positive impact on morale.
Social vs Private
No two colleagues prefer recognition the same way. Some crave the spotlight; others avoid it like the plague and would prefer subtle praise. When recognition is used as a tool to strengthen teams and improve workplace culture, having a social aspect to recognition can be beneficial.
Behaviour vs Achievement
No two colleagues prefer recognition the same way. Some crave the spotlight; others avoid it like the plague and would prefer subtle praise. When recognition is used as a tool to strengthen teams and improve workplace culture, having a social aspect to recognition can be beneficial.
Edpreciate as a Solution
Many peer-to-peer recognition software providers have admittedly been on the market for longer than we have, and believe us, we looked into them as a possible solution for education, too (it would’ve saved us a lot of money and time). However, they were simply too corporate and did not fully meet the needs of the fast-paced, ever-changing education industry.
Our platform is easy to use and builds a sense of community and belonging in schools and across Trusts. We’ve designed and developed Edpreciate in collaboration with current teachers, support staff, office managers, headteachers, trust CEOs, and HR personnel to give education staff and their leaders the best possible product. And it’s evolving. With more user feedback, new features are being added that only enhance our user experience.
You can view our non-MAT pricing or build your MAT quote (with a 5% discount). If you want to take a sneak peek behind the scenes, book a 30-minute, no-obligation demonstration with one of our product specialists.