Robert Half, a global staffing firm, recently reported that 12 percent of workers say they would quit their job because they don’t feel appreciated.

These days organizations are looking for new ways to stand-out and even more ways to retain their current high performing employees. However, what organizations forget from time to time is the simplest key to a happy employee is recognition. Not just any type of recognition, but personalized recognition.

Personalization enhances the employee experience and without it, appreciation and recognition are not as meaningful. It doesn’t take much time, effort or money to personalize appreciation, but the improvements in engagement and retention could be significant.

Here are three long-lasting steps you can start with today to personalize employee recognition:

1. Ask employees what they prefer: Find out how they like to be recognized for their great work. You can do this during the onboarding process on a simple notecard that the manager keeps, or you can include it as a question in performance reviews in case their preferences change. The more you understand your employees, the easier it is to personalize recognition!

2. When praising someone, be clear by mentioning their achievements: Let them know exactly what you appreciate. The more detailed, the better. Saying, “Thank you for your help with this report” is much weaker than, “Thank you for jumping in at the last moment to edit this report under tight deadlines.” Go even further by connecting the achievement to how it helped the organization as a whole. Employees will feel more valued and see the impact of their work on the organization’s success.

3. Be creative and have fun with it: If you know personal things about the employee, add it to the way you appreciate. If they get a caramel macchiato every day from Starbucks, surprise them with one. If they like Star Wars, give them a Yoda coffee mug to keep at their desk.

A culture of appreciation leads people to work together to achieve more, and when recognition goes viral, participation soars. Learn more on how to effectively attract talent while keeping employees engaged in this video.

This story was co-written by Michele McDermott.