Greg Naylor, Editor
Whitfield & Eddy, P.L.C.

Vol. 14, No. 10
February 2008

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Employee recognition can motivate excellent performance

Every employer wants its employees to be motivated to perform well. Certainly, competitive compensation and benefits can inspire employees to do well. Does employee recognition also motivate good performance? Read on to learn some pointers for using employee recognition effectively.

You mean you really care about me?

Many employment consultants highlight employee recognition as one of the top motivators for securing excellent performance. In fact, while statistics vary, most surveys tout recognition for a job well done as one of the most important motivators for excellent work.

Why should employee recognition matter? Frankly, it matters because we're all human. That is, we all want to be appreciated for our efforts and for the work we perform. Just as we all wanted our parents and teachers to recognize us when we excelled in school or another aspect of life, we tend to want our bosses to notice when we perform our jobs well. Consequently, employee recognition can be an even more powerful motivating force in the workplace than compensation.

Keys to employee recognition

How should you go about rewarding and recognizing the employees who bring about the results that help your organization excel? Here are some ideas.

Recognition should be individually tailored. First, take the time to figure out what type of recognition best motivates each of your employees. Some employees like public recognition, while others value informal pats on the back, personal gifts, or social activities. Encourage your managers to determine what the members of their departments want as recognition for excellent performance.

Work at empowering your supervisors to provide the specific type of recognition necessary to spark excellence in each of their employees. Sure, there may be financial and other constraints that may limit the type of recognition you can offer. Still, take the time to determine how your individual employees wish to be recognized for excellent performance, and decide what you can do. If you make the effort, you'll see quantum leaps in employee loyalty and improved performance.

Make the recognition timely. If you're truly interested in cultivating employee loyalty, make sure you provide recognition in a timely fashion. If an employee has really put forth effort for your organization or demonstrated excellent performance, don't wait to recognize her efforts. Timely recognition is critical to reinforce that you truly appreciate an employee's efforts.

Just as inappropriate behavior should be corrected immediately, excellent behavior should be rewarded promptly. Don't delay in recognizing employees' achievements.

Tailor the recognition to the performance. When recognizing someone's good work, tailor the reward to the level of achievement. An employee who just provided excellent customer service on a single telephone call may be rewarded in a vastly different way than an employee who worked all year to bring his department in under budget. Provide positive reinforcement that recognizes the level of employee achievement.

Provide management training on employee recognition. Train your managers to "catch employees doing good." Help them understand that the organization ― and in turn, their performance ― is only as good as the performance of the people they supervise. Provide training so they're prepared to recognize excellent per-formance on a daily, monthly, and annual basis.

Create lists of suggestions for how supervisors can informally recognize employees' achievements. Remind them constantly that positive verbal feedback remains one of the most powerful ways to motivate employees to achieve excellent work. Everybody likes to be patted on the back and to know that their supervisors appreciate their efforts. Help your managers see the value of constantly looking for, and recognizing, employee achievement.

Bottom line

Every organization is only as strong as its weakest link. Improve the strength of the chain that pulls your operation forward. Recognition, individually tailored and timely offered, is a powerful motivator for employees to achieve excellent performance. If you don't take your employees for granted, they won't take their jobs for granted.

Copyright 2008 M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC

IOWA EMPLOYMENT LAW LETTER does not attempt to offer solutions to individual legal problems nor does it provide legal advice. The newsletter provides general information on current developments on Iowa employment issues. Questions about individual legal problems should be addressed to the attorney of your choice.