BUSINESS FUNDAMENTALS
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Protecting Your Invaluable Assets WHAT YOU MIGHT NOT BE DOING TO GIVE YOUR EMPLOYEES THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE.
is important, but don’t overlook the impact of praise from a close coworker. Allow peers to give one another kudos as team members often have more insight into employee effort and morale than upper-level leaders do. YOU DON’T MAKE EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PUBLIC. Public recognition gives peers, managers, and senior leaders visibility to employees’ hard work and success. And when the entire company has visibility to recognition (or lack thereof), employees are motivated to work harder and achieve results. If employee recognition is kept just between a manager and employee, you miss out on that benefit. HOWDO YOU KNOW? Many organizations don’t know if they’re failing at employee recognition because they don’t ask for feedback. Use your one-on- one meetings or employee surveys to find out if your employees feel valued, if they’re receiving genuine recognition in real time, and what you can do to improve your organization’s employee recognition strategy. When you show employees that you value them and their efforts, they’ll be more inclined to help you build your company and share in your success. •
by Gary and Susan Harper
hen employees feel valued, they’re more engaged, more
having a negative effect (cue employee eye rolls every time they receive a “Good Job!” sticker on their desk).
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motivated, and more likely to go the extra mile for the company. But despite knowing the impact it can have on employee morale and business success, some companies still fail at employee recognition. Here are ways companies fail at recognizing their best assets. YOU DON’T RECOGNIZE EMPLOYEES IN REAL TIME. Don’t leave an employee waiting to be recognized. Recognizing contributions as they happen shows that you’re invested in their work and success and keeps them motivated to hit the next milestone. Real, authentic recognition happens in real time.
YOU ONLY RECOGNIZE ACHIEVEMENT.
If you’re only recognizing success, you’re doing employee recognition wrong. When you don’t appreciate employees for putting in extra hours, taking on a heavier workload, or going above and beyond their job description, they’ll be left feeling like not putting in that extra effort again. YOUR LARGER RECOGNITION PROGRAMS ARE THE ONLY OUTLET FOR EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION. Awards like Employee of the Month and Rookie of the Year are great, but if they’re your only outlet for recognizing employees, a lot of success and effort will go unnoticed. YOUR PROGRAM DOESN’T ALLOWPEERS TO RECOGNIZE ONE ANOTHER.
YOUR RECOGNITION IS GENERIC, STALE, AND PREDICTABLE.
What’s your company’s go- to method of recognition? Do employees receive the same type of praise, regardless of their contribution to the team or personal preferences? Your generic recognition strategy is probably
Gary and Susan Harper are the owners of Sharper Business Solutions.
Recognition from immediate managers and senior leaders
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