How important are a company's mission and values? [infographic]

When employees feel personally invested in what they do and are recognized for their contributions, they’re happier and more productive, which benefits the employer and company’s bottom line. Yet according to a recent survey of 502 workers and 251 senior decision-makers, conducted by Reward Gateway, less than half of employees feel personally aligned with their company’s mission (41 percent) and values (49 percent), yet  94 percent of employees and 98 percent of employers say those connections are critical.

How can employers close the gap? Recognition, according to the report, is a key driver to build employees’ buy-in of company mission and values, and it’s an area that employers are dropping the ball. More than 60 percent of workers think managers could be doing a better job of recognizing their and their coworkers efforts.