Friedom Training and Coaching Services 919 West 14th Avenue • Vancouver, B.C. • Canada • V5Z 1R3

Telephone: (604) 736-4110 • Fax: (604) 736-4193 • E-mail: friedom@friedom.ca • www.friedom.ca

The Power of Recognition

Presented by: Carol Ann Fried

“I cannot do all the good the world needs but the world needs all the good that I can do.” - Jana Stanfield

Friedom Training and Coaching Services 919 West 14th Avenue • Vancouver, B.C. • Canada • V5Z 1R3

Telephone: (604) 736-4110 • Fax: (604) 736-4193 • E-mail: friedom@friedom.ca • www.friedom.ca

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Better Than MoneyBetter Than Money

Table of Contents

Page

2 Recognition Works!

3 Forms of Recognition

4 Employee Recognition Survey

5 The Essence of Good Praising

6 Guidelines for Effective Reward and Recognition

7 The Three Principles

8 144 Recognition Possibilities

12 Appreciations

13 Bibliography

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REWARD Usually a gift given for an accomplishment or number

of years spent with a company/institution/municipality/organization

RECOGNITION

Nelson, 2001: Positively reinforcing observable actions and professional acts considered desirable by the

organization.

RECOGNITION An acknowledgement to a person that they have been

seen, heard and understood

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN that recognition for a job well done is the top motivator for employee performance.

While money is important, what tends to motivate people to perform and perform at higher levels, is the thoughtful, personal kind of recognition that signifies

true appreciation for a job well done. The motivation is all the stronger if the form of recognition creates a story the employee can tell to family and friends.

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Forms of Recognition I See You

Appreciation – thank you, praise, validation

Giving – time, energy, money, benevolence

Kindness – compassionate act

Letting go

Apologizing

I’m sorry

Because / that I I take responsibility for this / I made a mistake / It was my fault

How can I make it right?

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Employee Recognition SurveyEmployee Recognition Survey People are individuals. How one person would like to be recognized for their efforts may be different from their co-worker. We would like to know how you would like to be recognized and what you are willing to do to make our workplace a more supportive environment. Please remember that financial rewards are not a possibility at this time. All responses will be shared only with your immediate supervisor. I prefer to be recognized by (check all that are true): Public praise

Praise given privately in person

Note of thanks

Letter of commendation for personnel file, copy to department head

Email message to department

Personal email

Via departmental newsletter or website

A small personalized gift, e.g. coffee mug, plaque, certificate

Food items

Opportunity to attend training of choice

Opportunity to participate on committees and task forces

Opportunity to work on teams or with others

Have lunch with supervisor

Nomination for department awards for process improvement, customer service, safety or cost-saving ideas

Nomination for recognition awards

Other, please describe ___________________________________________.

I would be glad to participate in a recognition program that helps me recognize my co-workers' efforts.

I am willing to serve on a committee to develop and maintain recognition in our workplace. Please give 2-3 other ways to show general appreciation to all staff in our department:

_______________________ ________________________ __________________

Name Supervisor Date

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The Essence of Good PraisingThe Essence of Good Praising

I SAW WHAT YOU DID “I’m aware that you stayed late last night to finish the report I asked for yesterday morning.” I APPRECIATE IT “I so appreciate your willingness to do that.” HERE’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT “It was critical for my management meeting this morning.” HOW I FEEL… “I feel great that I could present the report on time.”

Guidelines for Effective PraisingGuidelines for Effective Praising

• Do it now. Like romance, praise will lose its potency over time.

• Be sincere. Don’t say it if you don’t really mean it. People know if you aren’t sincere.

• Be specific. The more specific you are, the more likely that behaviour will

increase, and the better it will feel to the person. Praise that is too general lacks potency.

• Tell them in person. Face-to-face praising proves that this activity has a

high value to you.

• Just be positive. When praising, just keep it to praising. Don’t add a suggestion, a criticism or a task.

• Be proactive. Praise progress towards desired goals; don’t wait for perfect

performance.

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Guidelines for Effective Reward and Guidelines for Effective Reward and

RecognitionRecognition

1. Be Personal – Each of us appreciates praise in a different way. Some of us are mortified by public displays, whereas some of us thrive on it. Ask people how they would like to be acknowledged, not only by way of public or private “ceremony”, but also in regards to some of the ways to be recognized. Information can be gathered from people themselves, as well as from family and other students regarding their likes, hobbies, personal interests, etc. for clues as to how to appreciate them in tangible ways.

2. Be Individual – Team and individual recognition go hand-in-hand. When rewarding a team for a job well done, it is important to recognize individual efforts that allowed the team to succeed. Also, be sure to recognize individuals who consistently recognize and appreciate others.

3. Have Fun! – As in all the work you do, enjoy the process. When thinking of ways to informally acknowledge people for what they do, the process should be as much fun for you in the planning and giving as it is for the people who receive.

4. Be Timely – Give praise along the way, with frequency. Don’t wait until the end of the year to sing your people’s praises. Too often people are heard complaining, “When I do something wrong, it only takes 5 minutes for me to be called on the carpet. Yet our awards ceremony happens only once a year”.

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Low-Cost/No-Cost Recognition is easy to do and can be effectively done with a minimum of expense. Don’t wait…just do it. Here are some ideas, culled from our own playful minds as well as other sources (including Rosalind Jeffries and Kathryn Wall in Recognition Secrets and Rosabeth Moss Kanter in a Management Digest article, and Bob Nelson in 1001 Ways to Reward Employees).

1. Create a “Best Accomplishments of the Year” booklet and include everyone’s picture, name and statement of their best achievement.

2. Allow staff to choose training programs they would like. 3. Include staff in “by invitation” in-house training from upper

management. 4. Send a hand-written "love note" conveying your most sincere

appreciation. Send a copy to spouses. 5. Invite staff to your home for special celebrations and recognize them in

front of their colleagues, spouses or guests. 6. Have coffee or lunch with a staff person that you do not normally see. 7. Send a letter to every team member at the conclusion of a project

thanking them personally and specifically for their contribution. 8. When discussing a staff person’s or group’s ideas with other people,

peers or higher management, make sure that you give them credit. 9. When introducing a staff member to a manager or client, introduce

them as someone “who works with me,” rather than as someone “who works for me.”

10. Give special assignments to people who have shown initiative. 11. Photo displays of individuals for extra effort, outstanding

performance, always being there to lend a hand… 12. Welcome new staff with a party and a celebration. 13. Create a “Guppie” award for employees who exhibit Grace Under Pressure. 14. Offer smiles and pats on the back – frequently. 15. Name a space in the building or parking lot and put up a sign (“The Helen Wheels

Corridor” or “The Jim Shewz Row, Space No. 35”). 16. Develop a “behind the scenes” award specifically for those whose actions are not usually in

the limelight; make sure the awards themselves are presented in the limelight. 17. Empower and encourage staff to catch each other doing something right. 18. Allow for flexible working hours. 19. Managers can sign and mail birthday cards or other holiday greetings. 20. Send cards – “Just to say hello and thanks for the good work you do.” – Be specific. 21. Lobby displays with pizzazz to feature outstanding work groups and individuals. 22. Recognize people who don’t necessarily do outstanding work, but who consistently do

reliable, good work and exhibit positive attitudes. 23. Executives can compliment whole departments at major company meetings. 24. Write people up in newsletters, bulletins, annual reports; send notices to local

newspapers.

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25. Share information with people about the business: finances, competition, new developments, outlooks, etc.

26. Allow a direct report to attend a department head meeting in your place. 27. Show personal interest in staffs’ children, pets, activities, etc. 28. Hold meetings offsite. 29. Have a menu item named for a staff person. 30. Tell work success stories. 31. Send a voice mail home acknowledging an accomplishment. 32. Volunteer to do someone else's undesirable tasks. 33. Let people choose office artwork and furnishings. 34. Pass out Lifesavers when staff do something helpful. 35. Create a unique, catchy award that is an honour to receive. 36. Create a Wall of Fame to display pictures of outstanding staff. 37. Read customers' thank-you letters aloud to the entire team and

post thank-you's in a visible place. 38. Start a staff development library. 39. Schedule uninterrupted time to listen to staff's thoughts and

concerns. 40. Name a space or event after a staff person. 41. Have managers walk around with lunch coupons to distribute spontaneously. 42. Sponsor a picnic on company time. 43. Pass out recognition cards which can be accumulated and redeemed for special gifts. 44. Have senior managers and executives serve staff breakfast or lunch. 45. Praise people in public. 46. Offer rewards for referring new staff. 47. Do the job of the "front-line" staff. 48. Give a deserving person a new job title. 49. Give someone a larger office, better tools, better location, etc. 50. Publish good deeds, praise and letters from satisfied customers in a company newsletter. 51. Have the CEO or senior executives write a personal note of thanks. 52. Give your staff time off. 53. Give staff a predetermined amount of coupons to give to other helpful staff which can be

redeemed for gifts and services. 54. Allow people to choose their next project. 55. Give people time off to volunteer for a favourite cause. 56. Reward staff with the use of the company's products. 57. Randomly select staff to visit with the company president every month. 58. List the achievements of staff's children in your company newsletter.

59. Send birthday cards signed by the company president to your staff's homes.

60. Send a personalized card to a staff person who has had a death or serious illness in the family.

61. If staff finish before the deadline, let them take off the amount of time they saved.

62. Offer extended leave without pay. 63. Let the staff create a paid holiday.

64. Offer flex scheduling.

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65. Host product knowledge contests and reward the winners. 66. Initiate profit-sharing programs. 67. Feature staff in company brochures, videos and commercials.

68. Sponsor a Laugh Day contest, rewarding the funniest staff with humorous gifts.

69. Allow high-performing staff to work from home. 70. Sponsor an art contest or poetry-writing contest and display

winning contributions in a prominent place. 71. Have staff and customers fill out a brief card any time they

observe excellent customer service – and hold a drawing at the end of the month.

72. Ask staff what tasks they like most and give them the opportunity to do those tasks.

73. Continuously find ways to make staff's jobs interesting and challenging.

74. Post staff baby pictures and sponsor a contest to guess who's who. 75. Give staff the opportunity to train new employees. 76. Give staff time to be creative. 77. Have casual days. 78. Have an employee talent show. 79. Organize a company volleyball, softball or bowling team. 80. Publish a short column in the company newsletter featuring

funny anecdotes or staff profiles. 81. Have free refreshments in the cafeteria or break room. 82. Have a 60's Day or Weird Hat Day, awarding prizes for the best

outfit. 83. Create opportunities to showcase your staff's strengths. 84. Smile and say "hello" to everyone every day. 85. Designate a bulletin board for staff to post jokes and humorous stories. 86. Take candid photos and post the results in the office. 87. Recognize outstanding performers in an awards ceremony. 88. Sponsor a chili cook-off.

If you have a budget…

1. Buy a cotton candy maker. 2. Provide once a month housecleaning service for six months. 3. Pay December home mortgage, lease, or rent. 4. Provide cat or dog food supply for a year. 5. Provide a two-hour body massage. 6. Pay the first year fee for personalized license plates. 7. Give three 3-day weekends with the third day paid. 8. Provide twenty hours of tutoring for a child. 9. Have flowers delivered to home or office once a month during the year. 10. Provide four movie tickets a month for a year. 11. Provide new workout clothes and a morning at the gym. 12. Provide a makeover and pampering at the local salon of your choice. 13. Provide one month paid parking. 14. Provide plants of your choice for home or office.

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15. Pay one month of telephone bills. 16. Provide a week's worth of temporary help for the non-profit

organization of your choice. 17. Provide a year's worth of pantyhose. 18. Have a balloon bouquet delivered to the person of your choice

every month for a year. 19. Have a Friday surprise: pizza party, or singing telegrams to the

office or… 20. Provide a donation in the name of a staff member to the charity of

her or his choice. 21. Create a treasure chest of items and staff choose their reward. 22. Gotcha! Certificates worth $5 that staff give each other when they are especially helpful. 23. Sponsor retreats. 24. Award a "dinner for two" for behaviour above and beyond the call of duty. 25. Pay for staff person's parking for a week. 26. Provide a free membership or passes to a fitness club. 27. Give someone a gift certificate for a manicure. 28. Buy doughnuts or bagels for your staff. 29. Give away tickets to sporting events. 30. Pay for a limousine ride. 31. Rent a luxury car or sports car for a staff person. 32. Put flowers and a welcome card signed by everyone on the desk of a new staff person. 33. Award a TV or PVR to a top producer. 34. Surprise everyone with ice-cream sundaes. 35. Give away movie passes. 36. Match a staff person's donation to a charity or educational institution. 37. Pay for a weekend at a "bed and breakfast". 38. Buy your team a round of golf. 39. Buy a gift for a staff person or spouse. 40. Hire someone to come to your company and shine shoes. 41. Offer take-home dinners from your company's cafeteria. 42. Give clothing or jewelry printed with the company name or logo to staff

as they reach certain milestones. 43. Pay for a balloon ride. 44. Host a shopping spree. 45. Have lunch catered from a favourite restaurant. 46. Give away lottery tickets. 47. When staff travel or work mandatory overtime, send flowers or gift certificates to their

families. 48. Hire a masseuse to give shoulder and neck massages on special occasions or during a

particularly stressful project. 49. Tape gift certificates to chairs at staff meetings. 50. Give cash incentives for ideas that help improve the business. 51. Leave candy or balloons at staff desks while they're on a break. 52. Sponsor a camping trip. 53. Give staff movie passes or restaurant gift certificates on their birthdays. 54. Hire a financial consultant to meet with your employees individually. 55. Arrange for a dry-cleaning service to visit your office weekly. 56. Offer free popcorn every day.

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APPRECIAPPRECI ATIONSATIONS Please write a compliment or appreciation or acknowledgement about each of your workmates in the spaces provided below. Include yourself! No one will see these comments except you and the person for whom they are intended. It is preferable that you sign your message, although this is not necessary. Please cut each square along the dotted line and bring them to an agreed upon distribution point by an agreed upon time. You will subsequently receive your own envelope into which all your appreciations have been placed. You will receive an electronic copy of this document via email, so that you may write or type in your appreciations. Please be sure to include every one of your workmates. Examples: ________, I so appreciate when you………… Name Thank you _______ , so much for……… ________, a quality I admire about you is…………. __________, you have no idea how much you helped/help me when…….. _______, I like it when you……………………………… ________, you really helped me with the…………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………

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Baldridge, Malcolm: National Quality Program, www.quality.nist.gov, 2003.

Buckingham, Marcus and Coffman, Curt: First Break All the Rules, 1999.

Canfield, Jack: Practice Uncommon Appreciation, Success From Home, 2008

Collins, Jim: Good to Great and the Social Sectors, 2006

Diamon, Harriet and Linda Eve: Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding Employees, 2005

Glanz, Barbara: The Simple Truths of Appreciation: How Each of Us Can Choose to Make a Difference, 2007

Gostick, Adrian and Elton, Chester: A Carrot a Day, 2004

Hemsath, Dave and David, McCullen, Daniel: 301 Ways to Have Fun at Work, 2007

Jeffries, Rosalind: 101 Recognition Secrets, Performance Enhancement Group, 1996

Kanter, Rosabeth: Confidence: How Winning and Losing Streaks begin and End, 2006

McKinnon, Harvey and Jamal, Azim: The Power of Giving, 2008.

McLean’s Magazine: Canada’s Top 100 Employers, 2008.

Nelson, Bob and Dean Spitzer: 1001 Rewards and Recognition Fieldbook: The Complete Guide, 2002.

Nelson, Bob: Motivating Today’s Employees, 1996.

Patkin, Todd: Finding Happiness: One Man's Quest to Beat Depression and Anxiety and – Finally – Let the Sunshine In, Stepwise Press, 2011

Post, Stephen and Neimark, Jill: Why Good Things Happen To Good People, Broadway Books, 2007

Rieger, Carla: Way-T-Go pads, http://carlarieger.com/.

Society for Human Resource Management: 2002 SHRM Fun Work Environment: Survey Report

Weinstein, Matt and Barber, Luke: Dogs Don’t Bite When a Growl Will Do, Berkley Publishing Group, 2003

Weinstein, Matt and Barber, Luke: Gently Down the Stream, Penguin Group, 2006

Weinstein, Matt and Barber, Luke: Work Like Your Dog, 1999.

Weinstein, Matt: Managing to Have Fun, 1996.

Yerkes, Leslie: Fun Works: Creating Places Where People Love to Work, 2007

http://kudosnow.com - Corporate Social Media Network

http://www.worldatwork.org - Trends In Employee Recognition