Recognition for Employees
In this week’s article, we’ll look at a few ground rules for recognition. Keeping these four points in mind will help you avoid some of the typical pitfalls of recognition-gone-wrong.
The First Rule of Recognition is That it Must be Personalized.
We’ll assume that you’ve already covered the genuine factor. Personalized recognition is received at a deeper level. Imagine if your spouse left a note on the counter that read: ‘Thanks, family, for helping me out during my illness.” It would seem strange and foreign and somewhat heartless. Managers and supervisors: remember this analogy next time you want to recognize special effort. Use people’s names, not their titles. “I’d like to thank George…” is very different from, “ I’d like to thank our sales manager.
The Second Rule is to be Specific.
“I’d like to thank you, George for the extra effort you took in completing the customer invoices under such a tight deadline. I’d also like to thank you for never compromising quality and producing a stellar report even under such a tight timeframe.” If you have to resort to, “Thank you for your hard work,” you may be advised to skip the recognition all together.
Generalizations make the reward’s purpose ambiguous, and won’t actually encourage the desired outcome.
The Third Rule is to Make the Recognition Public.
This may be accomplished in many ways. A company newsletter is a great vehicle for publicly recognizing special effort. It’s true that we all like to see our names in print. In addition, recognize staff individually for specific contributions at company staff meetings, or when introducing individuals to others outside the company. It will make the employee feel valued and important.
With that in mind, try to avoid the standard public recognition traps. “Employee of the Month” may be the most unoriginal, overdone methodology. This tactic quickly becomes insincere as, month after month, someone different is chosen. Spontaneity is your best strategy to escape these types of scheduled, mechanized, ineffective employee recognition programs.
The Fourth Rule of Recognition is to Tie it in With Values
If your organization has worked through some values clarification, made values a part of who you are and how your organization operates, then recognition has to be aligned accordingly. For example, if you state that honesty is a value, but you honor and recognize an employee who talked a customer into buying a faulty piece of furniture, you’re sailing in perilous seas. Be acutely aware of what you’re recognizing (especially publicly recognizing) because you’re likely to get more. A leader’s role here is about standing up for values, and choosing what it is that he/she wants to recognize. At every opportunity, honor and recognize when core values are demonstrated or acted upon. If the customer really does come first, then, in some cases not making the sale could be recognition-worthy!
Just to recap, the four keys to effective recognition is to make sure it’s:
- Personalized
- Specific
- Publicly acknowledged
- Aligned with company values
When carefully managed, your recognition strategy will reap huge rewards. Employees want and need to know that they are contributing to the good of the company. Recognizing and rewarding crew is simple to implement, and it almost always contributes exponentially to increased energy and commitment by staff. The power of recognition raises the sails of crew morale and carries your team forward like no other tool. Plan accordingly, follow these key principles, evaluate along the way, and make adjustments to ensure that employees are recognized for their positive contributions.
Next week, we’ll explore rewards, and I’ll include some tips on best ways to reward your staff, some from Victoria’s own “Sager’s Home Living” Furniture.
-Dawn McCooey, Author of the Bestselling, “Keeping Good Employees On Board”