Wise professionals at every organizational level looks for creative ways to reward employees and colleagues who perform well. I’m not talking about a salary increase or expanded benefits. Those are the things that are negotiated, mutually agreed upon, and expected at regular intervals. That’s your basic ‘cake.’ If you want them to go above and beyond, or get people to repeat that desired behavior, you need to add a little ‘frosting’ to your cake!
There are many ways to give people recognition. Some of the best ways to reward the positive performance of others involves the following:
Make it Personal – One size does not fit all and the perceived value of the recognition and reward you give is elevated when it’s customized for the specific employee who receives it. Yes - it will take more of your time, planning, and creativity and require that you need to know these people at a deeper level, discovering more about who they are and what they enjoy. But it’s exactly that extra effort that communicates that you value them.
Keep it in Proportion – If you are overzealous in your praise or heap huge incentives on people for minor accomplishments, it’s hard to show proportionate enthusiasm for the bigger things. And most people know when the praise exceeds the action. Or outcome. Your acknowledgment or reward should match the level of performance being recognized.
Make it Timely – Timing often can make all the difference. A small token of appreciation today can be much more effective than something worth twice as much delivered next week. Always be prepared to reward desired performance promptly. If you can write people up for something done wrong, you should be able to write them up just as (if not more) easily for doing something above and beyond what’s expected. Gift cards, crisp new bills, gift certificates delivered immediately, an extra hour at lunch or leaving early gets noticed and recognizing extra effort right away doubles the impact of any reward.
In Public – Often the value of your recognition (especially with younger workers) can be doubled if it’s done when friends and colleagues are looking on. The receiver wants to know they are doing well, but they often like their coworkers to know as well. Although not everyone likes praise is public (another reason to know the people you work with better), everyone does like to hear that their efforts are appreciated.
Adding some kind of frosting to almost any cake makes it better and outstanding performance comes in all shapes and sizes and in many different areas of your business. You don’t have to recognize all of your employees and colleagues – just the ones you want to develop and retain.
