Leadership Flagship

18 CREATIVE EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION IDEAS

March 3, 2017
by Sabrina Son on Jun 25, 2015 5:00:00 AM

Today’s workplace is experiencing a shift from employee recognition as being “nice to have” to “need to have.” A survey by World at Work reported that 88% of organizations have a staff recognition program in place — this can range anywhere from Employee of the Month to bonuses or gift cards. But these traditional methods are starting to grow a reputation for being inauthentic and, frankly, boring.

Pitfalls of Employee Recognition

There’s nothing worse than giving it your all at work and not receiving any sort of acknowledgement for your contributions. One thing that follows in close second is receiving empty praise that has no meaning behind it. Consider these findings fromCareerBuilder and Badgeville:
- 50% of employees believe increased recognition would reduce voluntary turnover
- 40% of employees who don’t feel meaningfully recognized will not go above their formal responsibilities
So if you’re going to praise your employee, make it genuine appreciation. Barb Hurley, Operations Manager at Knot So Perfect Designs, explains the importance of employee recognition,

“As the saying goes, an ‘atta boy/girl goes a long ways,’ and it does. Getting a compliment of good job gives the person pride, confidence, and self esteem. It makes you want to continue to do even a better job. People crave compliments as well as approval. When the employee gives 110%, it helps the company or gives a good impression of the company. Why wouldn’t supervisors and managers express appreciation for a job well done? It also makes them look good.”

To give your recognition program a redesign and shake things up, check out these 18 unique ideas that you can try out today.
1. Lunch drawing
If you have a peer-to-peer recognition program in place (which you should!), enter your employee’s name into a hat every time they recognize their peer. The more kudos they send, the higher of a chance they receive. At the end of the week, draw out two names so those employees can enjoy a meal on the company.
1. Social butterfly
Take to your company’s Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to recognize your employee in a public setting. Highlight who they are, what they’ve done, and why it was such a great deed.
1. Birthday celebration
Allow employees to use a floating holiday for their birthday. They deserve a day off!
1. Off-site day
Take the whole team to work off site for the day — work at cafes, libraries, or anywhere with Wi-Fi. You’d be surprised at how a change of scenery can really boost productivity.
1. Sticky notes
Leave a handwritten note saying “thank you” and why you’re thanking them on a Post-It. Stick it on your employee’s desk so that when they come into work the next day, they’ll be received with a pleasant surprise.
1. Rotating trophy
Find a fun trophy, stuffed animal, or figurine that you can pass around the office. Give it to an employee who has exemplified one of your organizational values, and let them keep it on their desk for a week. Come the next week, let that employee hand it off to one of their peers who has done the same.
1. Surprise treats
After an employee has left for the day, stick a candy bar, their favorite snack, or treat in their desk drawer. They’ll be able to start their day off on the right foot after they’ve found their surprise.
1. Recognition Day
Organize a formal employee recognition day at work. Make a whole event out of it with food, awards, and team-building activities.
1. Daily wins
If an employee landed a huge account or pushed a new feature live, have them let their peers know. Post it on your internal chat or announce it during meetings. It’s a great way for employees to highlight their own achievements in front of their colleagues.
1. Project plan
Let employees pick out an upcoming special project to work on. It shows that you trust them to keep accountable for their responsibilities.
1. Wall of fame
Snap photos of your employee’s accomplishments or take candid shots of them hard at work. Celebrate their contributions by creating a collage showcasing their blood, sweat, and hopefully not tears.
1. Spontaneous treats
Bring in donuts one morning or chilled drinks on a hot afternoon. Let your employees take a quick break to kick back and relax before they go back to their task at hand.
1. Show off recognition
Have employees send each other kudos, whether through a peer-to-peer recognition platform or physical cards. Display them around the office so everyone can see all the great things that have been happening around the company.
1. Send a card
Rather than giving employees a pat on the back or high five, send a card to their home.
1. Cheer tee
Has someone done a spectacular act or gone the extra mile at work? Have teammates sign a company tee with a thank-you message.
1. Prize tokens
SOURCE: giphy.com

Whenever you see someone doing something great, give them a token. Make them tradeable for prizes such as a bike, t-shirt, or a gift card to a store of their choice.
1. Creative day
You’ve probably heard it before — hack day. Let your employees take a whole day (or even just half) to work on a project of their choice. Then have them present it in front of the leadership team so that the top ideas can be implemented into everyday operations.
1. Commute help
Transportation can get costly when you consider the price of gas, car maintenance, and parking or even just a bus pass. Consider reimbursing your employee a free bus pass or giving up your parking spot for a week.

Some of these ideas may seem little, but it’s always the small things that make the biggest differences. Try a different tactic here and there with recognition to make it truly meaningful. Your employees will appreciate it, and so will your organization’s bottom line.
10 Alarming Reasons Why Your Employee Turnover Might Go Out Of Control

March 3, 2017
Posted by Aman Verma on Thursday, 12-22-2016 5:09 am

Employees leave a workplace due to two primary reasons – you fired them or they quit. Nonetheless, their painful absence is felt the very next day when you again have to grudgingly begin a hiring process to replace them.

In retrospective, if your business is turning up high employee turnover figures, the hiring process becomes really costly. Don’t you think something is going wrong somewhere? A research by CAP suggests that it costs around $3,000 to find a suitable candidate, hire them and train them for a job that generally pays $10-12 an hour. This suggests that you can make amends before things go wrong.

Why Does Employee Turnover Go Haywire For Some Businesses?

There are various reasons for this. First of all, thanks to an impersonal application process or consultancy, many candidates escape tests like pre-employment skill assessment, mental health assessment, and past behavior assessment. Additionally, many employees feel trapped inside their jobs when there is no appreciation – monetary or verbal.

More often, a haphazard employee onboarding program is also to blame. The employee isn’t even properly aligned with the company’s ethics and principles before he is pushed into his cubicle to crunch some numbers.

Lastly, rifts between the seniors and juniors are also a major concern. Employees not getting along with each other is a major reason why many good employees defect towards your competitors in order to escape prejudice and insubordination. It is a known fact that most employees quit bossy managers and not their job. This is unfair and unjust and needs to be tackled ASAP.

We have compiled a list of 10 major reasons why your employee turnover might go haywire if you do not act upon it now:
1. No Monetary Incentive or Recognition: Most employees work for money. If there is no increase in the pay scale, most employees will feel frustrated that they do all the hard work, but their superiors get the perks. To keep this in check, employees should be rewarded in R&R (rewards and recognition) programs to help them feel good, fairly compensated and noticed.
2. Overtime Hours: Yes, overtime hours do pay, but they are really taxing. Not only do they affect employees mentally, but also hamper their personal lives. Moreover, when employees are forced to work on weekends, they tend to snap. Overtime should be applied only in crunch situations and only good employees should be retained who align with your business’s ideals.
3. Millennials don’t like odd jobs: Most millennials are talented enough to even handle your job. However, since they are younger, they might sometimes get handed odd-jobs like updating software and stuff since they are generally tech-savvy. This comes off as rude and can make them complain about their job.
4. Employee Introduction: Very few businesses introduce new hires to the current staff. For them, the work begins on day one. This gives millennials a very small chance to learn from the boomers. Efforts should be made to conduct employee onboarding for formal introductions and mentorship programs in which boomers and senior employees can teach various tips and tricks to millennials before they retire.
5. Training Programs are Outdated: If training is haphazard, employee performance is bound to be sloppy. Moreover, if you have to explain the entire business process to each new hire while they are at the job, your training programs need a major overhaul because this training should be done before they join. Also, previous experience does not count when a new hire comes into a new industry.
6. Wrong Hires: Relying on consultancies and talent recruitment firms is not always reliable. You need to conduct thorough interviews with new candidates. Blindly believing in a candidate without putting them to test is wrong.
7. Boring Workplace Environment: Turn the workplace environment into a fun and productive place to work for. Incorporate cultural values into the mix and give newer opportunities and training to the employees.
8. Ignoring the Millennials: Promoting the wrong employee has the biggest repercussions in the form of deserving employees quitting the job. Most millennials feel deceived when their managers are promoted while they are not. Managers that have poor interpersonal skills will never be able to build teams that give faster output.
9. Quick-fire Errors: Firing employees is not always the solution; sometimes if the crime is not too big, the guilty employee can be let off with a warning. This can save you from incurring the cost on a new hire.
10. Minimal or Zero Employee Engagement: Employees are not horses working on a farm; they also have families to feed. Employee engagement programs help them to know about the ups and downs the workplace is facing and makes them plan their career path accordingly.
To sum up, voluntary or involuntary employee turnover hits your business hard. If you really need to fire someone, go ahead, but always consider your options before doing so. When an employee quits, apart from hiring someone new, also try to notice the interpersonal dynamics they had with their co-workers. Maybe the co-workers were the reason a good employee left you.

With the steps mentioned above, you can dig deeper into your hiring practices, appraisal methods and also fortify your business against high turnover rates and eventually retain the most integral part of your business – a talented employee.
Your WHY

March 3, 2017

By “Expect the Exceptional”

Why do you get out of bed in the morning? Is it to make money for yourself and/or your family? Is it to take care of your children? Is it because you love your job and can’t wait to get to work?

Whatever reason you have, it’s important to keep in mind that this “why” can drive your day, week and even your life.

“Your Why provides you with clarity, meaning and direction. It is a filter through which you can make decisions, every day, to bring your cause to life.”

-Simon Sinek

Personally, I have chosen to stay home with my children because I feel that is where I can be of most use, and it is where I will be the happiest me I can be. This direction is not for everyone; some feel they are better suited conquering the corporate world, or providing the world with delicious pastries. Everyone has a different why, the point is to find out what that is for you and to remind yourself of this throughout the day in order to stay on the right path.

Recently, my little guys have been a little challenging. The oldest is three going on 13, with an attitude and brains beyond his short years. He tests my patience by the hour, and to add to that, my youngest is 16 months and teething like crazy. There are certainly moments where I wonder what the heck I was thinking staying home!! In those moments, it is important that I think about my why. The reason why I decided to stay home was because I cannot stand the thought of missing important moments; I cannot stand the thought of someone else having to deal with these behaviors because they definitely will not be as patient as I am! I know that this is the best place for me because it is what I have always dreamed of doing and I never dread “going to work.” Most importantly, I NEED to be able to give them hugs and kisses anytime I see fit. So, when I begin to question this decision, I remember this why and get myself back on track by squeezing and smooching to my heart’s content.

Obviously, not every work problem can be solved with hugs and kisses; in fact, unless you work with your family I would strongly suggest you do not attempt to solve problems in this way. However, it can be helpful to remember why you are doing what you are doing from time to time. The same can be said for businesses as a whole, as opposed to just the individuals within them. As time goes by, it is easy for a business to get into a rut, doing the same thing every day just because it’s what you did yesterday. Remembering your why can help guide your business to where you want it to be.

Royal Services has paid special attention to their whyrecently; in fact, they developed a why statement specifically for this purpose. This statement is a great way to bring all departments together and remind everyone of their common goal; in this case,

“To provide our customers with superior project management, innovative programs, and a single point of accountability for facility solutions so that Royal, our clients, and our vendors can all thrive.”

Does your business have a why statement? Do you? If not, come up with one! Or at the very least, take some time out of your day to remember why you are doing what you are doing; remembering your purpose may help give your days more meaning.
Navigating Emotional Minefields When Giving Performance Feedback

March 3, 2017

By: Kevin Eikenberry <replies@kevineikenberry.com>

March 3, 2017

As a supervisor, it is absolutely necessary that you provide your employees with performance feedback. And the process is often challenging and uncomfortable. After all, it is not easy for everyone to criticize others. That said, you can’t avoid it.

Just remember that the words you use are only part of your message. Your full message is a combination of the words you choose and the emotion you get across.

When you deliver performance feedback, the emotional part becomes particularly challenging. People receiving feedback are often already feeling vulnerable and emotional. They can be quick to believe that you are criticizing or threatening them in some way, and so they immediately put up their defenses.

That defensiveness, in and of itself, creates a potential minefield for supervisors. However, by understanding the emotional filter of the person receiving the feedback, you improve your odds of delivering the right message in the right way so that you minimize defensive reactions from employees. Additionally, while you do not want to be emotional when you provide feedback, you do want to frame your feedback based on employees’ emotional filters. To figure out what those filters are, answer two questions about each employee:

Are they faster-paced or slower-paced? In other words, are they quick to speak or are they more contemplative?

Are they more focused on data, information, results and activities? Or are they more focused on interacting with and supporting people? In other words, do they focus on tasks or do they focus on relationships?

Then follow this advice. (Remember: Your feedback should always focus on observable issues, for example, behaviors, words, actions, results and so on.)

*             Employees who are faster-paced and focused on tasks. Speak directly to how their behaviors, words and actions impede how quickly they will see results. Avoid saying anything that might indicate you don’t respect them.

*             Employees who are faster-paced and focused on relationships. Show them how their behaviors, words and actions damage the way that other people perceive them, and explain how new behaviors will lead people to recognize them more often. Avoid saying anything that communicates that you don’t like them.

*             Employees who are slower-paced and focused on relationships. Tie their actions to how they can help others and how their contributions build the team. Rather than focus entirely on what you want done, make time to discuss how you want it done (with their input). Avoid pushing too quickly for results. Give them time to process what you have said before asking for a response.

*             Employees who are slower-paced and focused on tasks. Speak to the value and quality of their work. Be prepared to back-up anything you say with data, including quality reports, run reports, research data and so on. Keep your comments factual and observable.

Take action: Use the tips above as a starting point to understand your team. Schedule a feedback meeting with someone on your team within the next 48 hours to practice applying the suggestions. As you speak with people, observe their responses to your approach, and then make adjustments as necessary.
WHAT KILLS MOTIVATION AT WORK?

February 14, 2017

WHAT KILLS MOTIVATION AT WORK?

by Justin Reynolds on Feb 7, 2017 8:00:00 AM

When employees are motivated, they are excited to show up to work every day and contribute. They’ll help their coworkers when it’s needed. They’ll brainstorm new ideas and routinely go above and beyond.

When they’re not motivated, it’s a whole different story. Work becomes dreadful, and they only do the bare minimum just so they can keep their jobs.

Successful companies are built on the backs of motivated employees. Conversely, organizations staffed by unmotivated employees likely won’t stick around that much longer. That being the case, let’s take a look at six common factors that kill employee motivation:

01. A lack of professional development opportunities

Many of today’s workers — especially millennials — are extremely interested in opportunities to grow as professionals and advance in their careers. Yet according to our 2015 Engagement Report, only 25% of employees believe that their organizations offer adequate opportunities for professional development. If an employee feels like they are stuck in a dead-end job, doing the same routine and tasks day in and day out, they won’t exactly be inspired to take initiative.

02. Toxic coworkers and a toxic culture

When workers get along with their colleagues and love company culture, they’re happy and engaged. When they hate their coworkers and loathe their company’s toxic culture, they tune out.

03. Too many unproductive meetings

Are your employees going from one meeting to the next? If your company has a ton of unproductive meetings — and meetings about meetings — there’s a good chance your employees are becoming increasingly unmotivated.

04. Terrible leadership and management

Employees will work hard when their bosses are great leaders with clear visions and enviable work ethics. When managers are hypocritical and seem to not really know what they’re doing, it’s a whole different story.

Companies cannot be successful if they’re managed by unskilled people who don’t lead by example. When you promote folks who don’t deserve it into managerial roles, employee motivation can disintegrate overnight.

05. Employee feedback is never requested

According to our Engagement Report, not even one out of every three employees feels valued at their job. No matter what kind of worker you are, odds are you like it when people listen to what you’re saying and ask for your input on important decisions. Your employees are no different. They put in as many hours as you do. Because they have different roles, they have different ideas — some of which may be truly game-changing.

If you never ask your employees what they think about new proposals or initiatives, they won’t be encouraged or feel any ownership of what they do every day.

06. The absence of transparency

If you’ve ever worked for a company which made a major decision that completely blindsided almost everyone, you know how cheated you can feel when an organization lacks transparency. Of course, companies aren’t expected to keep all of their employees in the loop regarding every little thing that’s on the horizon. But when management operates in secrecy and doesn’t keep employees looped in on major decisions, motivation is killed.

If your company is guilty of any of the above, take immediate steps to change the behavior. Otherwise, you won’t be able to reach your full potential. It’s that simple.