| |
Overview: Traditional
staff reward programs have their place, but it's the phone calls from the CEO
and the flowers that arrive for no reason that help set them apart.
| | |
| |
Takeouts:
- A well executed recognition
program ensures staff members not typically acknowledged for their contributions
are shown that they are valued.
- Recognition
programs do not have to be costly, and done well, can be very effective at fostering
genuine loyalty and appreciation from staff at all levels.
| |
|
In today's
increasingly competitive labour market, many businesses are implementing reward
programs to motivate and retain high performing sales staff. But an often overlooked
area that should potentially command as much attention as a rewards program for
sales achievers, is a recognition program for non-revenue generating staff members.
Rewards
and recognition are not the same thing. Rewards are usually given to key individuals
for specific behaviours that directly influence bottom or top line revenue. 'Recognition'
programs typically have quite a different focus and purpose. That is, to ensure
that everyone in the organisation not covered by conventional rewards has the
opportunity to be valued and appreciated for their unique contribution to the
overall aims of the business. Although
it's true that rewarding people is one way of recognising their contribution,
a rewards program needs to be complemented by an organisational culture that affirms
employee's contributions regardless of where they sit in the hierarchy or how
great their contribution to the bottom line.
What is Recognition?
To recognise
something is to see it for what it is. It is typically a token of thanks or approval.
While the word token in some contexts can be interpreted as being 'nominal', (e.g.
a token gesture), it is important to understand that a recognition program is
not directly linked to either the significance of the achievement or the cash
value of the recognition gesture. Employee
recognition does not need to be expensive. For example, saying 'thank you' to
employees for a job well done takes no money and very little time but will help
build relationships and foster trust. Indeed the simple act of thanking staff
should be the foundation of any genuine recognition program. Recognition
can take many forms: a personal phone call from the CEO; a bouquet of flowers;
a handwritten note from a supervisor; a dinner or public affirmation. All of these
initiatives can be used to great affect to affirm the 'unsung heroes' in your
organisation. Recipients may not stand out in high profile projects and may not
be sales superstars, but they are still members of the team, working in the shadow
of more visible accomplishments by others and indispensable to the company's success
What Recognition is Not
Here
are three pitfalls to avoid in developing a recognition program for your organisation:
1. Starting (and ending) with length
of service Which employees traditionally
get recognised most often? After high-performing revenue generators, typically,
it's those who've been around the longest. According
to a recent US survey conducted by WorldatWork and the National Association for
Employee Recognition (NAER), 87% of companies surveyed use length of service as
the main foundation for their staff recognition program.
The problem with basing recognition
on only this criterion is that length of tenure does not guarantee that the employee
has made a contribution worthy of recognition. Thus you end up with a situation
where people are affirmed simply for hanging in there when they may in fact be
high-maintenance, marginal performers! In
these situations, the impact on those with less service but more deserving of
recognition is to devalue the concept of long-term service. A
recent Australian survey
revealed that companies are twice as likely to recognise their employees with
gifts or prizes at their farewell party - when it's all too late - than to reward
and recognise a job well done during their tenure and potentially influencing
staff retention rates while the employee is still actively engaged in the company. >
Lesson One: Take recognition measures beyond length of service, and don't
save well-meaning gestures until it is too late.
2. Bias towards high-revenue generating males
The
same Australian survey
found that men and women are not recognised on equal terms with it comes to receiving
gifts and/or prizes. Many firms still practice public affirmation of those who
create the greatest revenue (e.g. sales, billable hours) - which research shows
tends to be dominated by males. This
means that the 'management professionals' (e.g. HR, Finance, IT, Marketing) -
without whom the high revenue generators would not perform half as well - are
often left in the background and can sometimes feel like second-class citizens.
As such, embedding in your firm's unsung heroes a genuine sense of self-worth
and a realistic understanding of what they contribute and where they really fit
in is vitally important. >
Lesson Two: Management should ensure recognition efforts filter throughout
all positions within the company.
3. A one-size fits all approach to recognition
Don't
assume that what makes you feel good in terms of recognition will make others
feel good too. To be truly effective, recognition strategies should be tailored
to individual preferences. When it
comes to affirming staff contributions, think of gift-giving rather than offering
a reward. A gift communicates appreciation; it esteems value. People who receive
thoughtful, tailored-for-them gifts from supervisors who know their interests
and ambitions will feel honoured and appreciated. >
Lesson Three: Tailor recognition efforts to individual preferences for maximum
impact.
Recognition that Works
According
to Wirthlin Worldwide, a US research firm, the key elements of a successful recognition
program are senior management participation, recognition in front of peers, and
timely delivery of the recognition. To
develop a workplace environment that values the quiet achievers as well as the
high flyers in your organisation, consider the following ideas:
- Make a point of saying
thank you when staff members go above and beyond the call of duty, or simply do
a good job. Make praise sincere, specific, and don't dilute it with criticism.
- Develop a corporate culture
that affirms desired behaviours (e.g. safety). In the long run you get what you
pay attention to.
If Management comment positively on efforts that maintain the organisation's core
values, staff will soon understand what's important.
- Do
your homework. Train Management to observe the things their team members like
doing outside of work (e.g. their hobbies, interests and passions). This can be
done both as part of a formal review process or during normal work interactions.
Then, of course, integrate these interests into recognition efforts for each employee.
|
 |
Peer Recognition in Action -
The New England Pharmaceutical Company.
"We have something we call Gold Star awards
and they are awarded on a monthly basis. They are awards that staff members can
nominate other staff members for a job well done. It can be used to thank someone
for staying late to get a report out the door or show appreciation for someone
putting in effort that is above and beyond the normal call of duty. These go over
very well from both sides. The employee making the nomination feels they have
the ability to
say thank you and the receiving employee feels appreciated
and valued. The award is a $50 gift certificate for dinner and a golf shirt."
| | |
- Develop a 'Recognition Menu' for the organisation.
Set guidelines around the investment allowed in a recognition program. These can
be either financial (i.e. spending limits) or 'technical' (i.e. lists of company
approved recognition items)
- Be
creative in thinking of recognition initiatives and have a mix of options available.
Recognition can be both formal (e.g. awards, certificates, points-based online
rewards programs, etc), or informal (e.g. handwritten notes, gift vouchers, an
afternoon off). A recent bank of America benchmark study of 118 companies on recognition
found that a mix of programs - peer-to-peer, manager-to-employee and company-to-employee
- worked best for most companies.
Conclusion
Although recognition shares some
similarities with conventional rewards programs, a recognition program affords
everyone with the opportunity to be genuinely encouraged. Recognition is the oil
that greases the wheels of daily business operations. People work best in an environment
that makes them feel valued.
Supervisors who sincerely recognise staff members for their accomplishments know
that recognition enhances work performance. Appropriately recognising unsung heroes
will unlock the power of pure appreciation to help create a high performance,
high satisfaction workplace.
References:
| |
About Regent Recruitment
Regent Recruitment is a recruitment consultancy that assists leading Australian
employers to attract and retain talented staff on a contract, temporary or permanent
basis. Whether we are filling one permanent role or recruiting contract staff
for a 400-seat call centre, we deliver an exceptional recruitment service.
Unlike other recruitment consultancies, Regent
Recruitment is unique in that it combines the capabilities of a large-scale multinational
recruitment operation with exceptional service levels typically only associated
with small boutique agencies.
How
can we assist you?
We would welcome the opportunity to have a confidential
meeting to discuss your staffing needs in more detail. If
you are interested, in the first instance please call Howard Mereine, General
Manager, on (03) 9909 7150 or e-mail Howard at hmereine@regentrecruitment.com.au. We
look forward to speaking with you.
| | |
This article was licenced by Regent Recruitment for the Regent
Recruitment client newsletter.
Written by Victoria Small, and edited by Paul Quinn, Quinntessential Marketing
Consulting Pty Ltd.
Subscriptions Please
feel free to forward this listing on to other people in your company or in the
wider industry who you believe may benefit.
You may subscribe or unsubscribe
at any time - click here
to manage your subscription.
Disclaimer
The
views and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the view of Regent Personnel Pty Ltd.
| 
