Employee recognition is an important, and often overlooked, part of management. Everyone likes to know that their contributions are recognized and appreciated. Yet, as managers, we all get wrapped up in the day-to-day activities of the business and can lose sight of the need to show our appreciation for the efforts our people make.
And the thing is, it doesn’t take much to let people know that their work is important and valued. A quick note in their box thanking them for finishing up a big project can do the trick. A short email praising them for closing a sale can let them know you’re paying attention. A quick pat on the back or just sticking your head in the door when you’re walking by shows them that you’re aware of the work they’re doing. I’ve even heard it suggested that a quick note or call to the employee’s spouse or significant other is a great way to let a valued employee know that they’re appreciated. None of this takes more than a few minutes, but it can be an invaluable management tool.
Now I’ve been talking about some pretty informal ways you can recognize people for their good work. But there is a time and place for more formal recognition. There’s nothing like an employee being recognized in front of his or her peers. Awards such as “salesperson of the month” or “employee of the year” are great ways to give your best performers more greatly deserved recognition.
A few years ago, after more than three decades in business, we instituted our version of the “employee of the year” award. Let me tell you briefly how the process works. We established 10 criteria for evaluating what is required of a person worthy of receiving our award, which is named for our founder M. Lee Smith. Some of the criteria include:
- Leadership abilities including noteworthy accomplishments demonstrating their role as a leader
- Dedication to the company principles as outlined in our mission statement
- Strong character and work ethic
- Expressed sense of commitment and dedication to the company
- Involvement in company service projects
Each year we ask our employees to nominate their peers for the award. Each nomination is received in writing and details why the person being nominated is a worthy recipient of the award. Typically, the nominations include some examples of how the nominees meet the majority of the requirements for the award. Then the nominations are evaluated by a committee. The committee discusses the various merits of each of the nominees before ranking their top three choices for the award. A numerical value is attributed to each first, second, and third place vote a nominee receives. The votes are then tallied and the winner is determined.
I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to read the nominations. You have employees bragging, sometimes in great detail, about their coworkers and colleagues. You learn things about the people who work in your company, both those being nominated and those doing the nominating. You see how much respect is shared among coworkers. You learn how much they appreciate one another. And, every once in a while, you discover someone who may otherwise be overlooked.
We reveal the winner of our award in a company-wide meeting, which is really a celebration of that person’s accomplishments. We secretly invite the recipient’s family or significant others to attend the celebration. In front of the entire company, we read parts of the nominations that led to the person receiving the award. It’s a wonderful way to let people know that you appreciate your employees.
What I’ve covered here isn’t new or earth-shattering. Many companies have similar awards that are given out with regularity. My point is only that people need to be recognized. Especially in today’s economic environment when raises and other monetary rewards might be difficult to come by, letting people know that their work is appreciated and valued is important. And if you formalize the process, it not only helps to make sure you’re consistently recognizing your top performers, but it allows you to do it so that they get the credit they deserve in front of their peers.
Whether you want to institute a formal recognition program or not, you can make sure you’re giving your people the pat on the back they need. Take a minute right now to thank someone for a job well done.
I don’t agree with the suggestion that “a quick note or call to the employee’s spouse or significant other is a great way to let a valued employee know that they’re appreciated.”
You are assuming that this would be considered a form of recognition for the employee. I believe that this is inappropiate and that the recognition should be given directly to the employees.
I think that in some work environments employee of the month would be a good option but it should not be the only program since you are in fact recognizing one out of many employees. Programs that allows many employees (not all) to be recognized are more desirable.
Agree with Mary. Inappropriate for an employer to contact the spouse to let a valued employee know they’re appreciated.
I do like the detailed, written nominations idea though.