A "thank you" and flowers: cheap recognition programs that work
05 February 2009 8:32am
Budgets might be tight, but managers looking to retain their top talent and maintain morale should continue to reward deserving workers, according to Kelly Services MD James Bowmer, and they can do it on the cheap.
"The most valuable employee rewards are often the ones that have little or no monetary value," Bowmer says.
A simple "thank you", for instance, can seem minor to a manager, he says, but can make a worker feel valued and increase his or her job satisfaction and performance.
"Don't let yourself focus so much on dealing with employee problems that you forget to recognise those low-maintenance employees who always do what they are supposed to do," he says.
Consistently strong performers are often ignored by managers - who take their efforts for granted - and may become dissatisfied and seek employment elsewhere if they feel they are under-appreciated.
"Human beings have a basic need to be recognised for a job well done, and managers have a responsibility to meet this need," Bowmer says.
Simple expressions of appreciation, he says, can "have a positive effect on employee job satisfaction, productivity and retention of key personnel".
HR managers, Bowmer says, should also consider such initiatives as:
a peer recognition award, for which co-workers nominate each other for going "above and beyond the call of duty".
The nomination form should be easily accessible, and awards given as frequently or rarely as they are deserved. Winners should be announced at an open forum, such as a staff meeting, and given a certificate and something of a minor monetary value, like a gift certificate to a local restaurant; and
letters of commendation, which are received by deserving employees and sent to the executive-level management within the organisation.
These rewards are virtually cost-free and send a message to employees that upper management is interested in their accomplishments. The process also assures workers that their direct supervisors aren't receiving all the credit for their work.
"Instead, they will be likely to view their supervisors as allies in their career aspirations," Bowmer says.
Recognise the three types of workers - with flowers
Personal development expert Helen Mac, of Macs Results, says that employers should be careful not to only reward their "superstars".
There are three types of high-performers, Mac says:
superstars;
improvers; and
the "steady as she goes" workers, or "chuggers".
Managers, she says, can ensure that all types are regularly rewarded by measuring outcomes in a variety of ways.
In addition to profits or sales, Mac says, workers should be recognised for customer service, teamwork, dedication or effort.
And there are "great opportunities for light-hearted cheap and cheerful rewards along the way".
One organisation, she says, awards a bunch of flowers to an employee on Monday morning in appreciation of his or her efforts over the previous week. The employee, after an hour or two, then hands the flowers on to a helpful or deserving colleague, and the bouquet continues to be passed around for the duration of the life of the flowers.
Handwritten cards of appreciation are also "powerful" compared to emails, Mac says, and employers handing out lollies will be "treated like Santa Claus".
Verbal commendation, however, is particularly important, she says.
"It's surprising how powerful verbal praise is."
Employers should praise in public (and critique in private), Mac says, and refer to specific, deserving individuals when commending a team's performance at staff meetings or other workplace functions.
Reward or punishment?
According to Bowmer, one employee's prize is another's punishment.
"For example, an employee who enjoys being personally recognised by his or her supervisor might be pleased if the boss invites him or her to lunch," he says. "For another employee, spending his or her lunch hour with the boss might be viewed as an imposition on personal time."
Employers, therefore, should customise reward types based on individual preferences. They should keep a number of ideas in their "bag of tricks" so that they can choose the appropriate reward or incentive as each situation arises.
