You have probably heard someone talking about “paying someone a compliment” or being “paid a compliment.”
The funny thing is you don’t actually pay anyone anything. No money or goods are ever exchanged.
You don’t ever pay someone a compliment; you give it freely with no expectation of anything in return. (more…)
Another part of being specific with recognition giving is telling a person how what they did made a difference to you and the organization. Let them know the impact their actions had on others and on the business. Connect the dots for them.
It was a Saturday and I had our four children all to myself. We were planning to exit the house for a while. This would provide some welcome relief for my wife who was then bedbound with her last pregnancy.
The older children were scurrying around and independently putting on jackets and running shoes and heading for the van.
Our youngest, our 3 year-old daughter, repeatedly asked me for help with tying up her shoes. She quietly said, “Daddy, can you help me put on my shoes?” (more…)
Tell the person you are recognizing specifically what they’ve done and say how what they did made a difference to you, a customer, or to the organization. This simple action – being specific – will make any words of acknowledgement you give sound and look more authentic and real. Telling how their actions made a difference gives greater meaning to the person and helps connect an individual’s work to the bigger picture of business objectives.
Something about the “human” in Human Resources has relegated recognition practices and programs to the HR department.
Oh, there are times recognition might fall under another section of HR. Perhaps compensation and benefits. However, they tend to focus more on the rewards side of things because of their responsibility for the total rewards package.
The pure (or poor!) HR folks typically get dumped with being responsible for all things employee recognition. Many people I know in the HR field are desperately trying to get away from being known as “the caterers”, “event planners”, and the “party-balloon-blow-up-people”. (more…)
Avoid saying generic and ordinary words like “good job” or just “well done”. Be specific by telling them exactly what they did that made you notice their positive actions. And if you still have a hard time remove generic phrases from your vocabulary at least continue on by adding more specific words.
Face-to-face expression is still the most powerful form or acknowledgement. But also don’t neglect to use your program eCards, written notes and emails to say thanks for a job well done. Never let the reward alone act as the sole source of recognition. Make time to personally thank an individual for what they accomplished. By doing this you will give a recognition uplift to any tangible reward item they have received.
You’ve been questioning it for a while now. There have been signs something was not right.
You may ask: Is our company’s recognition program producing anticipated results? Is recognition aligned with our business goals? Has anyone seen success lately from our recognition initiatives? And now they want you to send proof of your recognition program’s ROI up to the C-suite offices!
To prevent your recognition and rewards programs from going down the proverbial drain, check out these 7 deadly warning signs and identify whether your programs are on their last legs or need immediate CPR. (more…)
When giving recognition to people our task is to make this act as memorable of an experience as possible. Unfortunately, it is the execution of the recognition giving that can kill the moment. We need to be thinking more about what the recipient would like to have happen. This month’s Top 10 tips will guide you in giving real, authentic recognition. (more…)
Mindfulness of the Execution factor of recognition considers how the recognition is carried out such as with sincerity, specificity, and immediacy. Non-verbal language as well as spoken words makes an impact. Always remember that it’s the little things that make a difference.