“I feel disappointed that my efforts weren’t recognized. I’ve worked hard too.” We’ve all heard it before. Business owners and managers who administer recognition programs within their organization know that one of their toughest jobs is deciding who the award recipients are. In many cases the same people recieve the awards on a consistent basis and some team members believe that the prize is out of their reach. So is there a better and fairer way to do this?
Here are three ways to help take the pain out of selecting who to reward at your workplace.
1. THE BOSS CHOOSES
For this to operate on a level playing field the program has to be totally transparent, that is, the criteria should be made public so that everyone knows exactly what targets they have to reach to be in the running. Not only will it make the process of choosing easier, but it makes the choice objective and therefore ‘fairer’.
The guidelines will be different from business to business but may be based on things such as productivity, attendance, customer service and of course business KPI’s (such as financial results), or a combination of all of these.
2. GIVE PEERS THE POWER
Some companies now use systems where points are distributed to both employees and management on a weekly basis. Based on clearly defined rules and criteria, everyone then has to allocate the points fairly to others within the organization.
3. ASK THE ONE THAT COUNTS – THE CUSTOMER!
Customers are asked to complete short surveys on their experiences with the business and the employee they’ve dealt with. Then it’s as simple as tallying up the results at the end of the period!
It’s All in the Timing
While most business can clearly see the benefits of periodically giving their employees recognition for their efforts and accomplishments, you don’t necessarily have to wait until the end of the year to do it. Try to implement easy and cost effective rewards regularly, or as a surprise when it’s not expected. In our workplace we try to implement easy and cost effective methods all the time. It might be something as simple as a ‘pat on the back’ at staff meetings, or an email from the boss letting them know their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. One simple thing that every business should be doing all the time, is sharing positive feedback from customers amongst the whole team.
Although we can’t help you choose who to recognize within your organization (that’s up to you!) we can certainly give you some great ideas on awards for your next presentation that fit within your budget. It might be just what your team deserves!
What Should You Give?
Make it special. Plaques are a great way to recognize a job well done. There’s no better way to do that than to have their achievement engraved permanently on a stylish plaque or corporate award for everybody in the office to admire and aspire to.
Improving employee motivation and morale is one of the easiest and best methods of improving organizational productivity and decreasing staff turnover.
