Many managers struggle with recognition. Most err on the side of not recognizing their team members enough. Very few provide too much recognition. Here are a few tips to help guide you toward recognizing well, and benefiting from the results.
1) Just Do It – You need to make the time to recognize. Make a commitment to recognize at least one person per month. Set aside time in your schedule to do it: assess who might deserve recognition; determine what the recognition will be; acquire the recognition item(s); and deliver the recognition. The process is time consuming. It’s little wonder that it is neglected.
2) Match the Reward with the Accomplishment – Don’t give an employee 2 movie tickets for saving the company thousands. If an employee does something great, reward them accordingly. If they achieve a minor accomplishment give them something small. Mismatching rewards can really confuse recipients and their peers, and ultimately it can do more harm than good.
This also implies consistency. If you give a person a $200 gift certificate for completing an assignment, and then give them a candy bar for completing a similar assignment 6 month later, it serves to confuse. Sometimes the funds are not available to recognize accomplishments at similar levels. If that is the case, explain. Otherwise the employee is left to wonder, “Did I not do as well this time around?” If the recognition differs among employees for similar accomplishments, favoritism can enter into the equation.
Sometimes the budget won’t allow suitable recognition that matches the accomplishment. If this is the case, it’s even more important to get creative. Don’t forget to consider granting extra time off. That can be very well received, and flies under the budget radar. Also, be frank with employees about budget limitations.
3) Get Personal – Normally people tell you not to get personal. The opposite is true with recognition. It shows that the manager has enough interest to put in the time to find out about and remember your interests. Also, you actually get something for the person that they enjoy. After all, that’s the whole point.
How do you find out what someone’s interests are? Some organizations have associates fill out a recognition wish list. This can come across as a bit too staged. It’s much better to talk to your team members. Meet with them monthly and chat. You will gain insight into what makes them tick.
4) Timing is Everything (almost) – Recognize team members shortly after the accomplishment. If there is too much time between accomplishment and recognition, the impact of the reward can be decreased dramatically. First of all, the person goes weeks or months without the much deserved positive feedback. Imagine what they are thinking? “Doesn’t my manager realize what I just did? Is he/she too busy to realize the importance of my accomplishment? I spent so much time on that. Why do I even bother?” Second, it implies that the manager didn’t see the recognition as being very important, which doesn’t send the correct message.
Sometimes companies have formal recognition programs. This is fine, but don’t let an employee’s accomplishments go unrewarded throughout the entire year, until it’s time to grant the “Employee of the Year Award.”
5) Be Specific – Don’t reward someone for being a wonderful employee. Their compensation should cover that anyway. Rather, point out exactly what they did to merit the recognition – completed xyz project, received a client letter, etc. Recognition should reinforce the behavior. So, be specific about the behavior that warranted the recognition.
6) Make it Public – People like to be recognized by their peers. It is further validation of their accomplishments. In addition, recognition is not just about reinforcing the behavior of the individual(s) being recognized; it also affects the behavior of others. Don’t miss out on this ancillary benefit.
Provided that the recognition follows the suggestions above, it can be very rewarding for all involved. The impacts on team productivity and quality can be substantial. It also happens to be the right thing to do. So, make the commitment to adequately recognize your team members for a job well done and reap the benefits of doing so.
