Gregg Lederman's Blog - Employee recognition needs to drive ROI

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Most people desire to go to work each day, do a good job and help the company grow. But sometimes employees need a little bit more from each other, the company and its leadership. A little bit more in the form of recognition for doing a good job, organized in a way that helps the employee to understand what doing a good job looks like and shows appreciation.

I get approached by company leaders asking me why they can’t seem to get their employees to go the extra mile for the company, to show a commitment to seeing that the company does well. What I think they are looking for is employees who care so much that they’ll put in whatever extra effort is needed day in and day out, to ensure their jobs get done and done right. The reality is that if leaders want to see that kind of commitment, then they must show more appreciation in the form of positive recognition.

Most of organizations I talk with have tried and failed time and again to implement employee recognition programs that actually drive alignment and behavior change. Most company programs end up like your neighborhood ice cream man simply serving up a consistent Flavor of the Month that employees laugh at.

If you have an existing employee recognition program or are thinking about implementing one, how are you going to measure success and return on investment? Ask yourself these questions:

How is your program:

reducing people time and investment necessary to effectively build and sustain culture?
enhancing existing employee performance systems and employee touchpoints?
reducing operational costs of changing culture, engaging employees and servicing customers?
streamlining and improving internal communication and breaking down organizational silos?
increasing customer satisfaction?
improving effectiveness of training initiatives?
growing revenue?
replicating high-performing employees?
increasing employee satisfaction and loyalty?

Recognition should be a strategic, leadership-driven process for acknowledging others in the workplace for good work that is aligned with the overall business objectives and strategies of the company. Don't bank your recognition strategy on plaques, glass prisms, overpriced toaster ovens, toolsets, spa treatments and motivational posters!

Wednesday, September 09, 2009 10:29:33 AM
Comments [0] • Trackback •

All comments require the approval of the site owner before being displayed.

Name
E-mail
Home page

	Remember Me
Comment (Some html is allowed: `a@href@title, strike, strong`) where the @ means "attribute." For example, you can use <a href="" title=""> or <blockquote cite="Scott">.
Enter the code shown (prevents robots):
Live Comment Preview