Acknowledging and Recognizing Your Employees

One of the most important things employers can do to keep their employees is to acknowledge or recognize their contributions to the company. And the funny thing is, the most effective acknowledgement or recognition need not cost a penny (well, maybe a few!).

While preparing an article on another topic, my phone rang. It was, needless to say, a sales call. Surprisingly, the sales rep was properly trained. She actually began by telling me her name, the company for which she works, and, believe it or not, if it was a good time to speak. Impressed, I told her to proceed.

She explained that she works for a promotions company. I thought events. She meant SWAG. She then told me that there is no better way to show appreciation, to acknowledge or recognize the good work of an employee than by giving them a gift with the corporate logo emblazoned on it, such as a sweatshirt, tote bag, or... And that was when I stopped her. Now I asked her if she had a couple of minutes. She did. This is what I told her:

I don't remember the CEO or the company, but one day the CEO went to the kitchen for a banana. On his way back to his office, he walked through the Customer Service Department. Hearing one of the reps in their cubicle dealing with an unhappy customer, he stopped to listen. By the end of the conversation, the customer was happy. The CEO walked over to the rep and congratulated him on a job well done. He then said he wished he had an award he could give him. Then he remembered the banana. He handed it to him. The employee was so grateful he kept it on the shelf in his cubicle until Nature demanded that it be thrown away.

The ironic thing was, when staff heard what happened, they all craved a banana from the boss. HR actually did research and they discovered that the productivity of those employees who received bananas rose higher than those who received a monetary reward, as in year-end bonus.

The banana represented sincerity. That is why a literal pat on the back from the boss, along with a "Way to go!" or a "Good job!" is worth it's weight in gold. Everyone craves recognition. Everyone wants to be acknowledged. But it must be sincere. Giving an employee something with the corporate logo on it is neither acknowledgment nor recognition, it's turning them into a billboard. It's demeaning and disrespectful. When acknowledging or recognizing someone for their work, an employer should never get anything in return, except for loyalty, and certainly not free publicity and advertising.

Oh, and while company uniforms can be a great way to create brand recognition, if you think dressing your employees in the same clothes is a "team building activity," please let me know. A gentleman in one of my networking groups is always looking to buy companies and, something tells me, yours will probably be on the market sooner rather than later.

ARE YOU AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD? THEN I INVITE YOU TO BE A GUEST ON MY PODCAST, BRUCE HURWITZ PRESENTS: MEET THE EXPERTS. FOR COMPLETE DETAILS, TO APPLY AND TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW VISIT: https://hsstaffing.com/video-podcast

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Future Articles:

• Corporate Values
• Conflict at Work
• Being an Effective Speaker
• How to Interview (Both Sides)
• Customer Service