APPRECIATE IN PUBLIC BUT REBUKE IN PRIVATE

The most important thing in teamwork is positivity by providing an atmosphere of trust and faith in each other’s capabilities thus bringing the team together to work cohesively and to motivate them to love their jobs. By doing so, it increases productivity and ensures that talent is retained in the company. Appreciating employees in public is a tool that can be used to bring out the best in people. It is imperative that morale is kept high always by providing a positive and healthy work atmosphere which does not revolve around threats or fear. It is best to foster collaboration between employees and the management through public praise so as to enhance efficiency by linking initiatives with performance goals.

It is a natural instinct amongst people to crave for praise. Hence public praise when showered by a leader is great for both learning and recognition by the team. Praising in public has the effect of showing success and accomplishments of others to everyone so that they can learn from that experience. Making a specific mention about someone’s achievement publicly passes many messages to a team or larger group, some of them being, recognition of one’s ability to do a job well, showing a mark of respect for one’s professional excellence, motivation for others to perform better and recognition for the common achievement by the entire team. Praising a particular participant in the team specifically with a general praise for the whole team would bring out the best in them.

Soft skills do matter at the work space. A few words of appreciation, a pat on the back, saying thank you or please makes an employee feel respected. Another form of appreciation in public is to honour employees achievements by giving titles like “Employee of the month”, “Star of the Week” etc. This makes the achievers feel good and motivates others to perform better. It must be remembered that appreciation in public should not be used in a hollow manner just to give a lift to favourites but must be deliberated upon prior to being showered. When praising people one’s goal should be to let them know what they did well as clearly as possible and in a way that is clear and precise. While a majority may be elated at getting public praise but some may like their achievements recognised without drum beating. Leaders should be sensitive to each and every member of their team’s thought processes and act accordingly. Following public appreciation, if a group email is sent to the whole team, then it solidifies the praise even more. Leaders give an impression of taking cae of their teams when they appreciate the work of their employees in private also. This signifies that the particular employee’s contribution is really important to the company.

Therefore, public praise reinforces correct actions by employees and this appreciation could lead to repetition by others, thereby immensely enhancing job performance towards achievement of organisational goals. Leaders need to identify the right opportunities where they can make a mark by showering praise on their super achievers or star workers.

On the other hand, if one has to criticise or rebuke an employee it is best to do so in private. Human beings being the socially sensitive breed that they are, tend to react defensively when rebuked or censured in front of others. Criticizing the team members in public is a big morale dampener and leads to embarrassment for them in front of colleagues. Thus the aim of making employees accept their mistake and learn from them is lost if they react violently which will result in no one learning from that mistake. It’s important for leaders to realize that the manner in which they deliver criticism also has a tremendous impact on employee comfort. If an employee is shouted or insulted in public, it is likely to trigger off resentment and disgruntlement leading to confrontations or even disengagement. Private criticism is important because behind closed doors, one can discuss threadbare the incident and bring about a process of learning of not to repeat them besides being kind and compassionate. At the same time task assigned on completion can be brainstormed in an open forum so as to provide a positive and constructive criticism for tasks that could have been done better. Subtle mention of the mistake could be mentioned and the mistake highlighted. Then the concerned person responsible could be counselled as to the correct method of undertaking the job in private.

Sometimes chastising in public may also be required not only to pass a message to the employee in question but also to the environment at large indicating that they can be publicly admonished if they make a similar mistake. This can be resorted to address an immediate crisis, to prevent an injury from occurring or to stop abusive or illegal behaviour in the workplace. But it has been observed that public rebuking does not give the desired results in the long run. It is best to follow the rule by asking oneself whether, one would like to be shouted upon in front of others. Normally, the answer to this is always no and so reprimand in private is a better option to be exercised by leaders.

When employee performance is not up to mark, it is best to give candid feedback, provide detailed counselling and show the direction for the task in hand.

Research has proven that colleagues of employees who have witnessed some being chastised publicly, register the environment as negative subconsciously, are likely to be more anxious and thus less likely to conceive innovative ideas or think out of the box for fear of being reproached or humiliated.

Sometimes power goes to the heads of toxic leaders who resort to obtaining results through threats and ultimatums. Such leaders should be corrected and counselled in their people handling techniques. It is always better to be a solution seeker rather than being seen as a despot continually condemning workers harshly without providing effective coaching. Coaching and guidance is what the team members look up to the leader for. At the same time, leaders should make sure that employees know when they have made a mistake and should help them accept it positively so that job productivity is enhanced.

Do remember the mantra, “Appreciate in public but rebuke in private”. It works!!!