Motivating Employees _ Bringing Out the Best in Your People - Barry Silverstein [24]
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USING NONMATERIAL REWARDS
Nonmaterial rewards are as significant as material rewards in motivating employees—and in many cases, they can be more important.
A 1997 study from the Families and Work Institute indicated that “the quality of employees’ jobs and the supportiveness of their workplaces are far more important predictors of these outcomes [job satisfaction, commitment, loyalty to employer, job performance, and retention] than earnings or fringe benefits.”
The 2002 study from the same organization produced similar results: “When employees do receive more support in terms of flexible work arrangements, supervisors and managers who are responsive to their personal and family needs, and workplace cultures that are more responsive to work-life issues, they appear to be better employees—exhibiting higher job satisfaction, greater commitment, and more likely retention—and their personal and family lives benefit as well.”
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“I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among men the greatest asset I possess. The way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement.”
—Charles Schwab
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CASE FILE
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HONORING THE RUNNER UP
Voyant Technologies honors employees who submit great new-product ideas. But the company’s CEO, Bill Ernstrom, also acknowledges what he calls the “best almost-ideas.”
Ernstrom recognizes runners-up with the “Elisha Gray Award,” named for the inventor who waited too long to get a patent on his invention: the telephone. Ernstrom believes it is important to encourage future innovation from individuals who “thought differently enough—either correctly or incorrectly—to get somebody’s attention.”
SOURCE: “Hands On” by Anne Stuart, Inc. Magazine (August 2002).
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Nonmaterial rewards are typically less expensive than material rewards and can sometimes cost the employer nothing at all. Ironically, however, they can be more difficult to implement, because they require a concerted ongoing effort by management to spend time with employees and pay attention to them. It isn’t quite as simple as paying out a monetary reward.
Some managers simply do not know how to acknowledge an employee’s contribution. They are not comfortable giving the pat on the back, whether it is a handshake, a kind word, or a thank-you note. Yet in many cases, a nonmaterial reward is simply that—an indication that a manager cares enough to take the time to express gratitude.
Immediacy and Sincerity Matter
Recognition or a nonmaterial reward should be given as soon as possible after an employee has exhibited the behavior or superior performance to be commended. The recognition should be specifically related to the event rather than generalized.
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“I’ve never known anyone to complain about receiving too much positive feedback. Have you?”
—Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles
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It should also be warm, earnest, and sincere. Some managers make the mistake of conveying praise too quickly or even flippantly. Others praise or flatter too frequently. “You are doing a good job” loses meaning when it is not associated with a concrete achievement.
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POWER POINTS
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MANAGING NONMATERIAL REWARDS
To reap the benefits of nonmaterial rewards, managers need to:
Understand that an environment responsive to work-life issues creates better employees.
Appreciate that nonmaterial rewards cost less than material rewards so are good for the company overall.
Encourage and act on employees’ suggestions.
Give nonmaterial rewards right away whenever they are deserved.
Express their appreciation openly.
Reward specific accomplishments.
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The type of recognition matters less than the recognition itself. However, the expression of appreciation should suit the achievement. For example, a handwritten note is fine when an employee turns in a report ahead of a deadline, but as a thank-you for an outstanding