Motivate Today’s Employees with Recognition

Are you wondering how to motivate your employees? Do you fear that today’s employees are sometimes un-motivate-able? Here’s the good news; employee motivation is easier than you might realize. Today’s employees really are motivated through recognition. The key is to understand the various kinds of activities considered to be recognition of an employee’s abilities, hence motivational for today’s employees.

Several years ago I conducted an employee motivation research project while I was traveling North America for the Dun & Bradstreet Foundation delivering full-day public seminars, targeted to business. After several months and hundreds of responses to a simple question, “What can your boss, or your company, do to improve your company loyalty?” It was amazing! Over 50% of the responses were: recognition, or something very similar. Guess what, it is the same today.

Part of Something Bigger

When you can find a way to help your employees to be part of something bigger than them, they are more engaged and their work has a purpose beyond the daily grind. For most of today’s active workforce in North America, this involvement is perceived as recognition. They receive pleasure from participating in something special; a huge marketing and sales campaign, a contest, company reorganization, special research project, community activity, etc.

The smart employer that really understands employee motivation gets in front and leads. As an example, a community project might seem like a drain on resources for a small business, but really is a marketing/publicity campaign if administered correctly. Employees are allowed to spend a small amount of company time on the project and encouraged to spend some of their own time doing the same. The innovative business leader finds ways to “spin” the project for publicity which will translate to more community involvement with the company and into increased sales.

Give Them Some Control

It has been proven over and over again since the famous “Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works” study conducted by Harvard back in the late 1930s that employee productivity increases when the employees have control over their environment. I wrote about a similar situation that I observed at a Grand Rapids manufacturing company in my first book, “The Art of Partnering.” When employees took over control of the worst production line at the factory, they solved many of the challenges. The line soon became one of the most productive and also desirable among employees to work. In both cases the employees were given the recognition of trust that they could successfully control their work environment.

Trust and Respect Are Powerful Recognitions

Today’s employees want to be trusted and respected as having something to contribute beyond mindless labor and compliance; and they want it now! For the “Baby Boomer” aged business leader, trust and respect is something that must be earned over a period of time. The natural gap here is the length of time. In order to motivate today’s employees, older business leaders must dramatically speed up their distribution of trust and respect—not a naturally easy thing to do.

For many of today’s employees, an employer’s trust equals respect in their minds; and respect equals belonging. If you can see your way to helping your employees to have an emotional ownership in belonging to the community of your organization, they will see that as recognition and will be motivated to participate at accelerated levels within the “community.” This accelerated participation, if channeled correctly, will mean accelerated productivity.

Give What They Cannot Buy

It goes without saying that you have to pay (total package) your employees well. If you do not, your competitors will. However, beyond the compensation package, you will find a myriad of opportunities to show appreciation for the value employees deliver to your organization.

Find, discover, and develop appreciation (recognition) in conduits with legs. When you hand out cash recognitions, the cash disappears instantly and is forgotten almost as quickly. Let’s say that you gave an employee $200. There are a number of consumable niceties that they could instantly enjoy—then they simply want more cash.

Or, perhaps take that same $200 and have your company logo embroidered on the back of a trendy leather jacket. Give the jacket to that same employee. How long to you think they will enjoy the jacket? Most likely for years, and every time they wear the jacket it is a reminder of your appreciation for their work. By the way, whatever you select as recognitions, make sure those items are not available to employees through purchase. Give them what they cannot but.

Recognition for today’s employees need not be elusive to employers. To motivate today’s employees, recognitions must be thought-out and implemented with the same care as a military operation; innovate, research, decide, organize, and implement. Do these things any you will motivate your employees to do more and be more than you had previously considered possible.

Praise Employees for a Job Well Done

Praise for a job well done! Was the response most frequently given to me during my six-month Employee Loyalty Survey in 1995. At seminars across the country, I asked attendees to tell me the one thing that would improve their company loyalty. Present, were of all levels from entry to executive, and recognition is what American workers want most!

I believe most executives, owners and managers secretly yearn for employees who have an emotional ownership in their company. Employees that operate as if they owned the company and always looked out for the company's best interests. Unfortunately, few are willing to do what it takes to cultivate this emotional ownership. Often, I hear managers saying that loyalty is too costly. But, how much does it cost to say, "Good job" or "Thank you?" Not a cent! The cost is the manager giving of him or herself--and to some, that price is too high. I have found that a little bit of recognition goes a long way.

Find creative ways to recognize your team. Don't let your creativity limit you, ask your employees what they might like. Ask colleagues what they have done. Listed below are 50 "easier" low cost recognitions offered by my seminar attendees.

Low Cost Employee Recognition

1. A visit from the president.

2. E-mail from the president.

3. Notice to all employees of a special performance.

4. Letter of recognition in employee's permanent file.

5. "Highlighting Employee" section in company newsletter.

6. "Well Done" pens.

7. Company coffee cup.

8. "Attaboy or Attagirl" stickers.

9. Paid time off.

10. Recognition at meeting.

11. Flowers.

12. T-shirt.

13. Lunch with the president or other executive.

14. New title.

15. Balloons.

16. Gift certificates to local restaurant, theater or video/DVD rental store.

17. Flex time.

18. Special parking space.

19. Private verbal praise.

20. Team pot luck celebration.

21. Choice of work assignments.

22. Certificate of Appreciation.

23. Cookies.

23. Team congratulatory song.

24. Selecting the workplace radio station for a week.

25. Come in late or get off early card.

26. Get the workplace recycled soda cans for a month.

27. Hand shake and "Thank you."

28. Company specialty advertising items.

29. Boss for a day.

30. Care package to spouse or children of employee.

31. Wash employee's car.

32. Food: all-day suckers, pizza, donuts or maybe something healthy.

33. "Get Out of Meeting" card.

34. Free vending machine privileges for the week.

35. Lotto tickets.

36. Gold star on desk.

37. Facial, pedicure or massage.

38. Cater breakfast at employee's desk.

39. Party at owner's or executive's home.

40. "We'll do it Your Way Today" card.

41. Software, special keyboard, new chair, etc.

42. Notice about employee accomplishments in local newspaper.

43. Assign additional responsibility.

44. Guaranteed quiet/thinking time.

45. Include employee in decision making.

46. Decorate office for holidays.

47. Lunch or dinner at long meetings and training classes.

48. Listen to the employee.

49. Encouragement.

50. Allowed to attend a seminar of their choice.

In The Art of Partnering I wrote about Management By Partnering Around (MBPA). I believe MBPA is the best possible solution to greater productivity. This applies to anybody who considers them a manager or better yet, a leader. Use Ken Blanchard's model from the One Minute Manager, find employees doing things right and give them a "one minute praising" on the spot. What a great way to build relationships.

Management by Partnering Around
When I suggest partnering around, I'm simply suggesting that you create mini-alliances throughout your organization with employees, teams, executives, and others. As in networking, your goal in MBPA is to get to know as many employees as possible. Next, learn their strengths, weaknesses, and their interests. This knowledge will allow you to successfully put people together using the "Adaptive Organization" model. It will serve you well by unleashing employee creativity and more effectively utilizing their unique abilities.

If you will commit to MBPA, you can add my favorite recognition program to all your other incentive or motivational workplace programs. Rigsbee's Recommended Recognition Program is that of offering negotiable corporate tender. The benefits to this recognition system are: Immediate and customized recognitions. We all want to know how we are doing. Who would not like their "reward" customized to their individual preferences?

Employee Recognition Certificates

Too expensive you say--not at all! This is the best deal in town if you do it correctly. Print recognition bucks assign a value and hand them out when you catch your employees doing a great job. It's praise for a job well done. Who should hand out the certificates? It should be supervisors, managers and executives/owners.

Assigning the value is a bit tricky. You want them coveted by the employees but not so valuable that your managers are hesitant to hand them out. An Air Force major I met in Alaska assigned the value as a paid day off but for most companies it is too valuable. Managers are much less likely to hand out days off than a coffee mug.

First look at what you already have that would create value in the lives of your employees, vender freebies, specialty advertising items and so forth. Then see what toys can barter for within your community and then post a list of "recognitions" and assign how many certificates needed for redemption. One certificate might be worth a paid hour off or a T-shirt. Two certificates might get your employee movie tickets for two or lunch at a local haunt. Five certificates might get a company jacket of paid vacation day. Play with it, put up new postings each month of the newly acquired goodies. Be creative, always add something new to keep the program fresh and your employees guessing.

This program only works of the supervisors, managers and executives/owners will give of themselves to find employees doing things right and reward them for a job well done. Take a risk and try it. All you have to lose is the productivity your not now currently getting. Whatever method you select for recognizing your employees, the important thing is to start now.

Effective Strategic Alliances from the Pros

Partnering for Profits: Compare to Top Alliance Professionals

A recent study done by the American Management Association and Pearson in collaboration with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) titled, “Today’s Alliance Professional...Tomorrow’s Strategic Leader” offers some very insightful information.

In examining strategic alliance professionals who identified themselves as “top experts in the field” the researchers wanted to see how those alliance professionals differed from ones who identified themselves as novices and moderately proficient. The “top experts” differed from their peers in several ways. The key findings were:

* “Top experts” are even more independent and sociable than most strategic alliance professionals.

* They are also higher in critical thinking and in leadership orientation.

* Finally, they possess a higher level of concern for others, which means that they have a strong empathic connection with people. When we look at the overall profile of top strategic alliance experts; areas where they differ from their peers as well as areas of similarity; a pattern emerges:

* Top experts appear to be very dynamic individuals who care about and connect with people; they positively influence and motivate others.

* They are constantly reaching out and networking with people.

* They are also very strategic and likely to find and create opportunities to use their critical thinking skills and independent and innovative style.

* On the other hand, they are likely to feel bogged down if required to devote energy to a lot of strict procedural demands and attention to details. They would suffer if forced to work within a bureaucratic environment.

You can read more about my perspective on the fine points of alliance development at:

http://www.Rigsbee.com/morearticles.htm (Permission to reprint my articles is also there.)

Executive Presentation Skills: From Ed’s Bookshelf

This week I’d like to share with you the 12 rules for speaking success from James Anderson’s book (published 1989) titled, “Speaking to Groups, Eyeball to Eyeball.” Good ideas, all of them. One caution…have a script, but do not read your script.

1. Find your action objective.

2. Know your audience.

3. Build from the closing.

4. Hook your audience instantly.

5. Create a script.

6. Keep a sharp focus.

7. Use good delivery.

8. Add impact with visuals.

9. Sell them with persuasion.

10. Keep a positive attitude.

11. Be totally prepared.

12. Follow up your success.

Executive Public Speakers, Professional Speakers, and Emerging Professional Speakers; please visit http://www.SucceedInSpeaking.com for additional ideas, assistance, and resources.

Trade Association & Professional Society Executives: Get the Membership Two-fer

How good is your membership recruitment brochure? This is a great time to take a look. In order to combine a member recruitment campaign along with a member retention campaign, you need to have a four-color pocket sized tri-fold brochure, you know, one that neatly fits in a #10 envelope. And the brochure had better address the benefits, rather than the features of membership. Features are what you get when you join, and the benefits are how those features make your life better—by helping you to get more customers, make more money, keep the best employees, and benefits like that.

The way you get a two-fer is to motivate your current members to call on prospective members. Have a class at your next conference going over all the benefits your association delivers—your members will need to attend to get “up to speed” on the benefits so they can talk about those benefits. And, what are you doing? You are reinforcing in the minds’ of your current members that they made a good decision in joining themselves…go for the two-fer!

If you need help with this, give me a call at 800-839-1520, I mean it.

Association Executives may access association growth articles and member recruitment campaign information at http://www.GrowingYourAssociation.com