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1
Use Your Words
One of the most compelling, powerful, and effective ways to reward and recognize your employees is also the cheapest. All you have to do is open your mouth and give your employees the thanks and appreciation they deserve for a job well done. When employees hear you say, âGreat job!â they feel better about themselves, their work, and the company itself, and this motivates them toward even higher levels of performance so theyâll receive more of this feedback in the future.
The best time to provide this type of credit and recognition is as close to the employeeâs excellent behavior as possible. If you can give this feedback in front of other employees, the impact is even greater. Those other employees will start to think about ways they can improve their performance so they can be on the receiving end of praise from you.
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2
Set the Tone
Rewards and recognition do not exist in a vacuum, and their impact hinges on the workplace context and culture. If the environment is harsh or cold, all of your efforts to reward and recognize employees will fall short. For example, if a manager typically treats employees with indifference, any positive feedback or rewards he or she provides will be received with skepticism at best. However, the same feedback or rewards from a more supportive manager will be well received. As a result, if you want rewards and recognition to work, it is essential to set a tone that is positive, friendly, fair, and premised on respect and trust.
One easy way to help set this tone is to avoid the common managerial practice of looking through employees rather than talking to them. By saying âhelloâ to your employees around the office, perhaps asking how things are going, and then listening, your employees are going to feel appreciated, important, and respected, and these are great rewards.
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3
Drop on By
A powerful source of recognition for your employees is the level of interest that you focus on them and their work. If you are inaccessible or basically invisible, your employees can easily sense they are not particularly valuable to you or the company. When you manage by wandering around, one advantage is that you can use all of your senses to get a better idea of how a department is operating.
On a more subtle level, by spending time in your employeesâ work areas, you are rewarding your employees. You are essentially telling them that although you have a great deal of important work that needs your attention, your team is even more important. Your visits are not based upon resolving a specific problem, and they are free of any agenda other than a desire to meet with the employees, see how things are going, ask a few questions, and answer even more.
You are not bearing gifts nor are you doling out cash. You are providing ongoing psychological rewards that build the employeesâ sense of self-worth and competence.
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4
Letâs Get Formal
Regardless of the informal thanks, credit, and recognition you give to your employees, a great source of meaningful rewards for them comes from receiving formal feedback on their performance at least once a year.
Many managers tend to delay these sit-down meetings or forget about them altogether, typically mouthing the mantra, âI donât have time.â This type of thinking destroys a valuable recognition opportunity.
It is highly rewarding for an employee to have a clear idea of how he or she is doing and where improvement may be needed. When an employee is not given this feedback, it is akin to shooting arrows at a target, but not seeing where they are hitting.
The most obvious messages in formal review sessions deal with the employeesâ performance, but the deeper message is that you have a genuine interest in the employees and their careers, and this is one of the greatest rewards you can provide.
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5
The Riches of Enrichment
Employees sense high levels of recognition and reward when management enriches their jobs. Some managers operate under the misconception that enrichment means giving employees more work, typically more of the same work. This is merely expanding their jobs horizontally. In this scenario, rather than feeling rewarded, employees feel used.
Real enrichment expands the employeesâ jobs vertically by providing them with more autonomy, control, and decision-making responsibilities. They are given increased opportunities to think and grow, and, in many respects, they are able to act as managers of their own jobs. When jobs are truly enriched, employee performance improves in many different ways, especially in terms of the quality of their work.
Job enrichment is not simply handed to all employees, but rather is earned by those whose performance is consistently strong. It is a reward for excellence, and employees in enriched positions tend to experience increased feelings of confidence, achievement, and personal competence.
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6
Nothing Like a Good Book
A great way to recognize and reward an employee is to give him or her a book. Obviously, you have millions of choices, but you can set some parameters by looking at the individual employee and the position he or she holds. Many of the best rewards are tailored to fit whoever is receiving them, and you can easily do this with a book.
For example, if you have an employee who has management potential, you can certainly give a book on management. However, you can just as easily give a novel that includes a character who displays outstanding managerial skills.
If you want to make this reward more tailored or personalized, you can give a book that deals with the employeeâs hobbies or outside interests, or a well-reviewed book you believe your employee will enjoy.
Regardless of the book you select, you should personalize it by inscribing it. Use a good pen, write the employee a short praiseful note, and then sign and date it.
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7
The Art of Articles
Your employees like to know that you are thinking of them, and not just in a general sense, but also as individuals. One of the best ways to recognize their individuality is to send them an article that is particularly appropriate to their interests.
The article can deal with some work-related matters, or it can focus on your employeeâs general interests or hobbies. You can give the employee a hard copy of the article in person, or you can just as easily send it as an attachment. Either way, the message is clear: you regard this employee as a valued individual on your team.
In this way, you are actually providing two rewards. First, there is the psychological reward that comes from being remembered and recognized by oneâs manager. And, secondly, there is the tangible reward of the article itself.
When you give the article to the employee, be sure to attach a short note that includes the employeeâs name and a few positive words about how you thought this article ties right into this individualâs goals, interests, or hobbies.
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8
Turning the Corner
Every manager is going to have an employee who struggles. With a good deal of coaching, guidance, support, and perhaps a bit of luck, that employee may experience a turnaround.
When you have an employee who makes this kind of transition, you have a golden opportunity to provide some recognition. Recognition at this point is positive reinforcement that will encourage this employee to continue his or her successful behaviors.
This employee should be given an award indicating that he or she is the most improved player. Whether at a special staff meeting or as part of a larger recognition program, employees who make great improvement should be singled out in front of the group and praised for their totally improved performance. They could be given a special award, the TIP Award for Totally Improved Performance, exclusively for employees who have tipped the scales and are now performing at a TIP-TOP level. This award can be accompanied b...
