What is a two-word phrase that means the most in a business environment? Thank you! Employers utilize this quick praise, but the compassion is lost behind the purpose. If employee recognition is not genuine, employee trust could be lost. I will give you tips with the purpose of genuinely recognizing others.
Did I just see that?: The first step in genuine employee recognition is to identify the opportunity. Walking around your business giving thanks and “high fives” is great, but this particular praise may be considered inappropriate at times. Don’t get me wrong, simple praise go a long way, but truly recognizing others for a job well done takes a stricter discipline. You, as the business leader, understand the companies’ goals so your praise should be in alignment with those particular goals. For example, say you have a goal to control expenses in your business by 1% during the first quarter. You have an employee who single handedly implemented a plan in the business unit and helped your business save an addition .5%. This is a definite cause for praise and employee recognition.
This is what I saw!: When you praise the employee, you have to add the specifics of the praise worthy of recognition. Now is not the time for one of those meaningless “high fives”. Explain what you saw and what the employee did to receive employee recognition. Take the example above for instance. I recommend creating an expense saver award, or something similar. Also remember to praise the employee immediately. There is nothing worse than seeing behaviors worthy of employee recognition and not acting upon them. You are the business leader. All eyes are on your actions on a constant basis. If an employee does something right, believe me, others will know as soon as you know.
How did the action make me feel?: A part of giving genuine employee recognition is being compassionate regarding your praise. As a business leader, you hold the keys to the business. What better feeling is there than when one of your employees does something right, you catch them doing something right, and you get to recognize the employee?
Now you have to share this feeling with your employee. Do you want to boost morale in your business unit? Recognition from the leader of the organization spreads like wild fire. Recognition also is a tool which breeds stellar performance as well. Other employees will increase their performance once their peers receive positive employee recognition.
With various businesses looking for measurements of success, you will be ahead of the curve with proper employee recognition. Expense saving and productivity are on the forefront of every business model. Doing more with less is simple if you recognize the people who are in the trenches every day.
