In composing my previous post about the new research on recognition published by WorldatWork, I was reminded of something that a former colleague used to say when discussing recognition programs.
It was:
Never give a plaque to an employee who has no wall!
The point? Make sure that you recognize employees in a manner which they value and appreciate. For example, not everyone likes to be called out in public; employees on the shy or reserved side might find this to be an uncomfortable experience. In fact, lack of care for how employees prefer to be recognized can torpedo an otherwise positive and well-directed recognition effort.
Case in point: An organization I once worked for had an "employee of the quarter" award, based on peer nomination. Every quarter, right before the quarter-end all-staff meeting, an email would be circulated asking for votes for the employee who most deserved recognition that quarter. The employee who received the most peer votes would be called to the podium during the all-staff and presented with a nominal award (gift certificate, if I recall correctly) and made to stand there while the office head gave a silly memorable speech about their accomplishments over the past quarter.
Now I'm certain that this whole effort started out just fine, but by the time I had joined the firm, the peer nomination process had been tainted with practical jokes and even minor acts of revenge. And if you had a hint that you might be among the top runners for employee of the quarter, well you made it your priority to be out-of-town at an unavoidable client meeting that day. Just to avoid the embarrassment.
And yes, folks, this was at an HR consulting firm. Big shame on us.
The lesson? Recognition can be a powerful and effective tool, particularly given its ability to accomplish a lot on a relatively small budget. But recognition plans can have extraordinarily limited shelf lives. You have to keep 'em fresh and keep 'em real, and you have to watch carefully for signs that they are fraying around the edges.
Forewarned is forearmed!
Ann -
What a great story! I too cringe when I see some of the well intended attempts at recognition turn bad. I’ll be sure to pass along your advice next time: “You have to keep 'em fresh and keep 'em real, and you have to watch carefully for signs that they are fraying around the edges.”
Posted by: Dan McCarthy | May 01, 2008 at 10:16 PM