Join the employee recognition revolution!
June 5, 2010
The pyramid structure of most organizations often leads to it being the manager’s job to recognize employees. You know how it works. A colleague does a great job and you take it upon yourself to mention it to someone higher up in order for her to be recognized or rewarded.
But is that really the way workplace recognition should work? First off, is your manager going to have the time to do it, and if she does, will she deliver the kudos in a timlely manner, with as much passion as you have? There is a better way. Give employees the tools for instant peer-to-peer recognition.
Ok, I’ll wait a few minutes while you catch your breath. But seriously, as social media becomes more and more common, why can’t we harness some of the tools for motivation at work? Sure, nobody wants to hear about what Jim from accounting had for dinner last night, but I would argue that everyone would like to know how he went the extra mile to help out a colleague with an issue that he was struggling with.
At Rewards Nation, we take the stance that managers should not be the only people responsible for recognizing good work. Think about how empowered your employees will feel with the tools to make someone’s day instantly. We call that recognition an applause, and it’s a great way to put a smile on someone’s face.
So how about it? Are you ready to give your employees the power to inspire each other? Turn that pyramid upside down and launch a positive revolution today!
Transparency, in corporate North America, is the new black. The recession – discussed ad nauseam – has forced corporations to “open the books” so to speak to appease stakeholders, clients, and government agencies and to ensure that current practices would enable a sustainable future. As Stephen Linaweaver put it in The Unintended Consequences of Corporate Transparency:*
…the importance of transparency, and how it involves developing knowledge, honing communication, and identifying why you are opening up, for whom, about what, and through which mediums. All of that is well and good and necessary in the fishbowl that is the modern marketplace. These actions should help companies improve or protect their brand reputation and build equity with customers, particularly in the event of a mishap…
Many organizations have developed internal measures to ensure that employees have all the relevant information at their disposal regarding the company’s direction, its goals, and the challenges it will face getting there.
Shouldn’t there exist a level of transparency when it relates to employee success in helping the organization reach its goals? Trust me, employees love to read about their colleagues’ victories. Even minor victories, communicated to the employee population, consistently, will add up to great big successes. Give it a try. But be sure that what is being shared and celebrated internally is directly linked to what is being communicated to the universe.
*Read Stephen’s article here.
Faux Appreciation: Like Cheap Perfume
April 18, 2010
What is the single most important ingredient to a successful recognition program? Not awards. Not rewards. Not strategy. Not budget. Not slick software. The most important ingredient is Authenticity. You have to mean it. Everyone who participates in appreciation activities has to feel it.
Some companies launch a recognition program just so they can tell the world they have one, as if it proves that they actually care about their people. Employees can always tell when it’s just a P.R. exercise.
“Dear Sally, Thanks for your hard work on project X. Here’s a little something for you“ does not show respect for the blood, sweat & tears that Sally put into her delivery. Quite the contrary. It sounds like it’s coming from someone who felt obligated to say something and who didn’t even care enough to make it sound sincere.
Everyone can smell faux appreciation. It’s like using cheap perfume to cover up BS. All it does is amplify the stink.
A Years of Service Program Doesn’t Cut It
April 10, 2010
How can any organization hoping for continued success not strive for the type of culture where everyday heroes are uncovered, thanked and held up as the ones behind the company’s success?
What could possibly be the excuse for not regularly highlighting and celebrating the multitude of small actions taken by your employees that are the reason behind your customers choosing you instead of your competitor?
It doesn’t have to be a big production to be effective.
There is no law that says that you must add tangible rewards, points, cash, etc., to a pure recognition program. In fact, without a proper strategy, points and other rewards awarded willy-nilly can distract from what the program is really about: True recognition. Pure appreciation.
Everyday your heroes make the choice to work with you instead of your competitor. You’re so lucky.
Employee Recognition – Is everyday awesomeness going unnoticed?
February 15, 2010
When your radar has been pointed at what might go wrong for so long, it’s easy to overlook everyday awesomeness.
Starting from the top, redirecting the focus on what is going right so you can encourage more of it, coaching your managers and discussing success specific to their teams can help build a true culture of recognition:
- What to look for; what positive actions look like
- The types of behaviours that are important to success
- The importance of involvement, transparency and fairness in building trust
- How telling stories of your own everyday heroes that include background, action and outcome can serve as powerful positive reinforcement.
Once your management team not only understands but buys-in to the importance of showing appreciation for what is right and wonderful within your organization, they will teach by example and involve their own teams in focusing on the positive.
Looking for the great stories and sharing them with everyone is an art, not a science. Everyone has it in them; you just need to nudge it out.
Why Their Loved Ones Deserve Your Recognition
February 10, 2010
Your employees are engaged, they love what they do and are practically obsessed with their jobs. Fantastic! Can this last? In spite of your goodwill, maybe not.
How do you think your champions’ loved ones feel about all this attention directed at the office? Chances are, they’re happy that their significant other has a great career, does rewarding work and of course, they’re grateful for the income that this passion generates.
Who could blame them for also feeling left out, under appreciated for their support and even a little resentful about the late nights and weekends spent on special projects, the vacation time spent checking email, the forgotten special occasions?
The truth is, without their friends and families’ support and understanding, your bright stars would eventually fade, unable to sustain the pressure of added responsibilities, arguments, and even guilt.
In spite of the never-shrinking workload, encourage a healthy work-life balance and remember loved ones in your recognition activities; once in a while, send a note, a bouquet, a dinner-and-movie card, a special treat for the family.
Show them how much you appreciate having them on the team.
How public praise can be like sprinkles on a sundae
February 9, 2010
At the start of one of our regular brainstorming sessions, each member of the team shared the story of the most memorable recognition they’d ever received. Turns out that over 80% of the praise was made publicly, either in front of family and friends or co-workers.
We all love and crave recognition but when made public – whether in person or on a bulletin board, intranet or reward & recognition website, the experience is that much sweeter.
Why not conduct your own informal research? Ask your friends, family members, colleagues and employees about their most memorable recognition experience and see if you get similar findings. It’s a great way to drive home the power of transparency.
Are you recognizing the right behavior?
February 5, 2010
We all should have a good understanding of what our company expects from us, right? This understanding is, in the most likely scenario, a result of what has been communicated to you via goal-setting meetings, conversations with your manager, company core values, compensation, etc.
What is often overlooked is that recognition, and occasionally rewards, play a huge role in what employees think the company expects/wants from them.
I know that when I’m recognized for accomplishing a task or going “above and beyond” to exceed a clients expectations, I do my best to replicate that because that’s what I understand to be what I’m supposed to do, what matters to our company.
Recognition isn’t just an “atta boy” or “atta girl” thanks for cleaning my coffee cup this morning message. It is fundamentally expressing that what this person has done is what the colleague, manager, department, and company value and what they’d like to see done over and over.
Be sure that your recognition strategy takes this into account; it is aligned with your goals, departmental or greater, as recognition plays a very important role in communicating what you want employees to replicate day in and day out.
No Bitter Beans with this morning coffee
February 5, 2010
I was reduced to mush the morning I read the very first peer-to-peer recognition message sent through our then brand-new system.
Stepping into the recipient’s shoes, I could just imagine how this burly man must have felt when he read the last line of the well-written, fairly descriptive message, knowing that the entire company had read it too: “Today, Joe, you’re a hero.” He must have been walking on air, our Joe.
Realizing that our vision and hard work had been the catalyst for our client’s recognition revolution made me burst with pride and fired up my intrinsic motivation for years to come. (The extrinsic came later.)
To this day, as I sip my morning coffee, I just love to read some of the thousands of messages of praise and appreciation that are sent through our system every day. They positively affect my mood and interactions for the rest of the day.
I can only imagine what they’re doing for the recipients and their organizations.
Poof! Employee Engagement!
February 5, 2010
The Science of Motivation and Employee Engagement can sound pretty clinical – at least not overly friendly. Or it can appear as a lot of hocus-pocus. The research is hugely valuable of course, but some of the suggested processes can come across as complicated, cumbersome and even intimidating for some companies. As a result, many will choose the path of least resistance: do nothing.
How about just starting with a myriad small things to improve communication, connectivity and involvement, department by department, team by team, one by one?
Baby steps that put the focus on humanizing the organization, on positivity, highlighting what is right instead of what needs fixing will set your organization on the right track.
According to the Gallup Organization, these are 12 conditions to employee engagement:
1. I know what is expected of me at work.
2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.
3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday.
4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.
5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.
7. At work, my opinions seem to count.
8. The mission/purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.
9. My associates (fellow employees) are committed to doing quality work.
10. I have a best friend at work.
11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.
12. This last year, I have had the opportunities at work to learn and grow.
Nothing hocus pocus about those, but outcome can definitely be magical.
