Motivating Employees _ Bringing Out the Best in Your People - Barry Silverstein [25]
Types of Nonmaterial Rewards
Nonmaterial recognition can take several forms. An e-mail, a note, or a letter of thanks is always welcome. Bulletin board or intranet posts, or mentions in a company newsletter, are more public written expressions of commendation. You can also acknowledge an individual in person with a visit to his or her office or a lunch out. More publicly, you can praise the person at a meeting. Recognition devices, such as small gifts, company merchandise, gift certificates, or plaques are more enduring reminders. Or you can offer a one-time benefit, such as a day off or the opportunity to attend a workshop or seminar.
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Outside the Box
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TRAINING REWARDS
Acquiring new skills and being exposed to new ideas is always stimulating. One great way to reward and energize employees whose performance you want to recognize is to send them to a seminar or convention—perhaps even with their spouse. Let them know that the trip salutes their achievements.
Then, via a memo, the company bulletin board, or the company newsletter, deliver the same message to the rest of the staff. Public acknowledgement and a new opportunity for personal growth will yield a more motivated and more loyal employee.
SOURCE: Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive (Reissue Edition) by Harvey B. Mackay (Collins, 2005).
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Red Flags
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SINCERITY AT RISK
Insincerity and lack of support from a manager is de-motivating. Watch out for the following:
False enthusiasm
Patronizing praise
Poor follow-through and unkept promises
Personal complaints about workload to an employee
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The Best Reward of All
Perhaps the best nonmaterial reward of all is not only recognizing an employee’s current effort, but opening the door to the possibility of greater recognition in the future.
Most employees are highly motivated by the potential for advancement. One of the most powerful forms of recognition is an increase in an individual’s job responsibilities—either additional challenges in his or her current position or opportunities to learn something new by cross-training with other departments or divisions.
Make the employee a team leader or have him or her supervise others. Offer the chance to work collaboratively with more senior team members, to set both objectives and success-measurement criteria, or to have input into important decisions.
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POWER POINTS
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MANY WAYS TO SAY “THANKS!”
Several forms of nonmaterial rewards may be appropriate.
One-on-One Recognition
Handwritten notes and e-mails
A personal letter
Notation in human resources file
Taking the employee to lunch
Giving the employee a day off
Public Recognition
Bulletin board or intranet posts
Mentions in company newsletters
Praise at staff or company meetings
Opportunities for Personal Development
New work challenges—supervisory duties, a team-leadership position, the chance to set objectives and measure criteria for success
The chance to attend a workshop or seminar
Recognition Devices
A gift or gift certificate
Awards, plaques
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Behind the Numbers
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THE COST OF DISENGAGEMENT
An employee engagement survey of the U.S. workforce conducted by Gallup in 2006 found that nearly 20.6 million workers, or 15 percent, are “actively disengaged” or fundamentally disconnected from their jobs. This translates into a cost to the U.S. economy of between $287 billion and $370 billion annually.
The research indicated that actively disengaged workers are significantly less productive, less loyal to their companies, and more stressed and insecure about their work than their engaged colleagues.
SOURCE: “Gallup Study: Engaged Employees Inspire Company Innovation.” The Gallup Management Journal (October 12, 2006).
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If you find legitimate ways to turn a high-performance employee into a more valuable participant on your team, you as well as the employee will reap