Five Tips for Effective Employee Recognition

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. Employee recognition is a communication tool that reinforces and rewards the most important outcomes people create for your business. When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce, with your chosen means of recognition, the actions and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate, and powerfully reinforcing.

When you consider employee recognition processes, you need to develop recognition that is equally powerful for both the organization and the employee. You must address five important issues if you want the recognition you offer to be viewed as motivating and rewarding by your employees and important for the success of your organization.

The Five Most Important Tips for Effective Recognition

You need to establish criteria for what performance or contribution constitutes rewardable behavior or actions.

• All employees must be eligible for the recognition.



• The recognition must supply the employer and employee with specific information about what behaviors or actions are being rewarded and recognized.



• Anyone who then performs at the level or standard stated in the criteria receives the reward.



• The recognition should occur as close to the performance of the actions as possible, so the recognition reinforces behavior the employer wants to encourage.



• You don't want to design a process in which managers "select" the people to receive recognition. This type of process will be viewed forever as "favoritism" or talked about as "it's your turn to get recognized this month." This is why processes that single out an individual, such as "Employee of the Month," are rarely effective.

A Working Example of Successful Recognition

A client company established criteria for rewarding employees. Criteria included such activities as contributing to company success serving a customer without being asked to help by a supervisor. Each employee, who meets the stated criteria, receives a thank you note, hand-written by the supervisor. The note spells out exactly why the employee is receiving the recognition.

The note includes the opportunity for the employee to "draw" a gift from a box. Gifts range from fast food restaurant gift certificates and candy to a gold dollar and substantial cash rewards. The employee draws the reward, so no supervisory interference is perceived. A duplicate of the thank you note goes into a periodic drawing for even more substantial reward and recognition opportunities.

More Tips About Recognition and Performance Management

• If you attach recognition to "real" accomplishments and goal achievement as negotiated in a performance development planning meeting, you need to make sure the recognition meets the above stated requirements. Supervisors must also apply the criteria consistently, so some organizational oversight may be necessary.
  
  The challenge of individually negotiated goals is to make certain their accomplishment is viewed as similarly difficult by the organization for the process to be a success.



• People also like recognition that is random and that provides an element of surprise. If you thank a manufacturing group every time they make customer deliveries on time with a lunch, gradually the lunch becomes a "given" or an entitlement and is no longer rewarding.
  
  In another organization, the CEO traditionally bought lunch for all employees every Friday. Soon, he had employees coming to him asking to be reimbursed for lunch if they ate lunch outside of the company on a Friday. His goal of team building turned into a "given" or an entitlement and he was disappointed with the results.



• There is always room for employee reward and recognition activities that generally build positive morale in the work environment. The Pall Corporation, in Ann Arbor, MI, has had a "smile team" that meets to schedule random, fun employee recognition events. They have decorated shop windows, with a prize to the best, for a holiday.
  
  They sponsor ice cream socials, picnics, the "boss" cooks day, and so on, to create a rewarding environment at work. Another company holds an annual costume wearing and judging along with a lunch potluck every Halloween.

Rewards and recognition that help both the employer and the employee get what they need from work are a win-win situation. Make this the year you plan a recognition process that will "wow" your staff and "wow" you with its positive outcomes. Avoid the employee recognition traps that:

• single out a few employees who are mysteriously selected for the recognition,
• sap the morale of the many who failed to understand the criteria enough to compete and win, and
• sought votes or other personalized, subjective criteria to determine winners.

Communication for Effective Change Management

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Develop a written communication plan to ensure that all of the following occur within your change management process.

• Communicate consistently, frequently, and through multiple channels, including speaking, writing, video, training, focus groups, bulletin boards, Intranets, and more about the change.



• Communicate all that is known about the changes, as quickly as the information is available. (Make clear that your bias is toward instant communication, so some of the details may change at a later date. Tell people that your other choice is to hold all communication until you are positive about the decisions. This is disastrous in effective change management.



• Provide significant amounts of time for people to ask questions, request clarification, and provide input. If you have been part of a scenario in which a leader presented changes, on overhead transparencies, to a large group, and then fled, you know what bad news this is for change integration.



• Clearly communicate the vision, the mission, and the objectives of the change management effort. Help people to understand how these changes will affect them personally. (If you don’t help with this process, people will make up their own stories, usually more negative than the truth.)



• Recognize that true communication is a “conversation.” It is two-way and real discussion must result. It cannot be just a presentation.



• The change leaders or sponsors need to spend time conversing one-on-one or in small groups with the people who are expected to make the changes.



• Communicate the reasons for the changes in such a way that people understand the context, the purpose, and the need. Practitioners have called this: “building a memorable, conceptual framework,” and “creating a theoretical framework to underpin the change.”



• Provide answers to questions only if you know the answer. Leaders destroy their credibility when they provide incorrect information or appear to stumble or back-peddle, when providing an answer. It is much better to say you don’t know, and that you will try to find out.



• Leaders need to listen. Avoid defensiveness, excuse-making, and answers that are given too quickly. Act with thoughtfulness.



• Make leaders and change sponsors available, daily when possible, to mingle with others in the workplace.
• Hold interactive workshops and forums in which all employees can explore the changes together, while learning more. Use training as a form of interactive communication and as an opportunity for people to safely explore new behaviors and ideas about change and change management. All levels of the organization must participate in the same sessions.



• Communication should be proactive. If the rumor mill is already in action, the organization has waited too long to communicate.



• Provide opportunities for people to network with each other, both formally and informally, to share ideas about change and change management.



• Publicly review the measurements that are in place to chart progress in the change management and change efforts.



• Publicize rewards and recognition for positive approaches and accomplishments in the changes and change management. Celebrate each small win publicly.

In Danger of Getting Fired or Laid Off?

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Worried about potential employment termination? These are the next steps. Here's how to predict potential employment termination and the first steps to take in preparation.

• Tend your work station and electronic equipment. Whether you work in an office, a cubicle, or on the factory floor, pay attention to your work area. Is the number of personal items you would need to remove in the event of employment termination easily doable? Do you have backup copies of personal items on your home computer or non-work laptop?
  
  In fact, remove non-work related material from your company-owned equipment which you will need to return immediately in the event of employment termination. Take home any personal files that you may have been storing at work. Backup your phone book and contacts from both your computer and your cell phone at home.
  
  Remove any records relating to taxes such as travel expenses and mileage. Finally, your employer owns the work you have produced while employed, so you won't want to use the same material at a new employer. But, you may want to take home copies of work you can use as samples in your next employment.
  
  Depending on whether you have a non-compete agreement, and the other particulars of your employment and separation, the samples will save you time developing from scratch. You wouldn’t want to lose all the effort you just invested in writing an employee handbook or a cost justification for a major equipment purchase. (Do be careful about how a sudden flurry of emails to your home email address will look to an employer from whom you need a positive reference.) Remember, your employer owns your work email, too. Another employee is likely to monitor your email account for a period of time so the company doesn't miss calls or customers.



• If you expect your employment termination will be for performance, maintain a copy outside of work of all documentation relating to your performance. Keep copies of any action plans created during coaching sessions and any other written documents you receive including performance evaluations.
  
  If you are not receiving regular feedback about your progress, you may want to go on record for requesting feedback by emailing your supervisor and HR staff, if involved, to request a periodic feedback meeting. In any case, maintain your own documentation with a timeline of the series of events that led to you employment termination.
  
  You may also want to speak to an attorney if you believe your potential employment termination is not justified.



• Prepare to negotiate your severance package. In the event of an employment termination, your employer is likely to offer you severance pay. Whether the termination is for cause or a layoff, expect that the employer will require, in return, that you sign a statement that gives away your right to sue them for any reason as a result of your employment termination.
  
  In all cases, take the document home, for the length of time required of your employer by law, and think about signing away your rights for a few weeks pay. Perhaps consult an attorney, but never sign such a document on the spot, at the moment of employment termination.
  
  While it’s tough to think strategically at the moment of employment termination, you have nothing to lose once you have heard your employer’s offer. These items, depending on company past practices, the number of employees involved in the layoff, and other variables, may be negotiable:
  
  --the amount of severance pay,
  -- the length of time benefits such as health insurance remain in effect,
  -- how the employment termination is recorded in your personnel file (layoff vs. fired as an example),
  --how the employment termination will be characterized by Human Resources when potential employers call for a reference, and
  --how much the employer is willing to pay for outplacement services to help you move to your next job.
  

Additional Signs of an Impending Layoff

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Robert Half International offers these additional signs that you may be targeted for a layoff:

• "Cost-cutting measures are being implemented throughout the organization.
• Your workload is lighter than usual or projects are being reassigned to others within your department.
• Your work is cyclical in nature, and you have significant periods of slow time.
• Your position or department isn’t viewed as a revenue generator.
• You are no longer included in meetings in which you have typically participated.
• Your manager is showing increased interest in the status of your projects and the procedures planned for completing them."

Observe all of these signs carefully, however, and don't jump to wrong conclusions; these can also be signs that your company is well-managed and poised to survive an economic downturn.

Practice constant awareness of your environment. Listen and learn to read between the lines. Consider what your managers are not saying. Heed the rumor mill; employees in sales or accounting may have information you need to prepare for your future. Don’t let an employment termination, for whatever reason, catch you unprepared.

Prepare for Employment Termination

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

These steps will position you for a quick return to the workforce in the event of employment termination. This is general career advice that any Human Resources professional would offer current employees who might be in danger of employment termination.

In fact, since many organizations fail to communicate openly with their employees, these are actions every employee needs to take throughout their careers. You want to minimize the downside of unpredictable events such as company bankruptcy, major customer loss, major supplier loss, or employment termination.

Live your life as if each day is the last day of your employment.

--Keep your resume, application materials, and potential references and their contact information up-to-date.

-- Join and become actively involved on career appropriate online social media sites such as LinkedIn, Ryze, and Tribe.net. Facebook and Twitter are also gaining traction in the online networking world. You never know when you'll need an active network.

-- Make sure your professional association memberships are up-to-date. Participate.

--Spend a certain amount of your time away from work networking in your community, at civic events, in philanthropic organizations, on boards, and in groups that share your leisure interests.

--Eat lunch with a contact or friend several times a week to keep your network thriving even while you are still employed

In Danger of Getting Fired or Laid Off?

By Susan M. Heathfield,

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Employment termination - no matter the cause - is scary, disorienting, and disruptive to habitual patterns. Getting fired is never fun; layoffs are equally disheartening. In either scenario, your feelings of self worth and self esteem are dealt a blow. Just when you most need a positive outlook to help you find your next opportunity, you feel dizzy as if your whole world is spinning out of control. Don’t despair. Better? This is how to prepare yourself for your next layoff or employment termination – before the fateful meeting.

Signs of Impending Employment Termination

Signs of an impending employment termination are obvious in retrospect. If your employment is terminated for performance reasons, you will generally have had a performance improvement plan. Or, minimally, performance improvement discussion meetings with your supervisor will have escalated. Your manager may also have involved Human Resources staff in these discussions.

The employee handbook generally lists the circumstances and infractions under which progressive discipline, up to and including employment termination, are meted out. You will want to become familiar with these guidelines.

If you believe your manager is building a case that will result in employment termination, you may want to speak to an attorney while you still have time to affect your employment. In other cases employment termination is the right answer. You may be underperforming or ill suited to the role you are expected to perform.

Layoffs are also often obvious in retrospect. Many companies will communicate an increasingly dire financial forecast; other companies leave employees in the dark about their financial situation. Signs that a layoff might occur include some or all of these.

Managers ask employees to implement cost saving measures. Both hiring and spending are frozen. Employees who leave are not replaced. Sales are down or the sales projection is dismal. Closed door meetings o

Work With People

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Now is the time to take steps to keep your job. You can keep your job, even in a bad economy. But, start soon, not later, to take the steps necessary to keep your job.

Jay Himes, Executive Director of Student Services and Programming at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, suggests you need to take a good look at yourself and your contributions. "Employees' work and accomplishments speak for themselves. Look at your organization; ask yourself, 'If I wanted to start a company that does what my firm does and I could take X number of people from here, who would I take?'

”If you aren’t on the list, why not? There are two possible reasons.

• "The company doesn’t need someone who does what you do. This is often the case for people who are far removed from the firm’s customers, or whose job is primarily rooted in the bureaucracy. If your job is about building speed bumps and not about enablement, this is a warning sign.
• "You are not providing superior value. Is this a training or education issue? Is it commitment – does your work day have work or procrastination in it? Is the issue that you have relational trouble with your coworkers?

"If you honestly evaluate yourself and move to correct the issues, there is still time. Your bosses and coworkers will notice improvement. If you wait until layoffs come it will be too late."

After you evaluate your contribution and prospects and assess the viability of your employer, you are ready to make decisions. In any case, if your current employer appears to be taking appropriate actions for these tough economic times, you will want to ensure that you keep your job – for as long as you want your job.

You Feel Unappreciated in Your Current Job

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

You work hard every day, but you don't feel your boss or your workplace recognize your efforts. You can't remember the last time anyone thanked you for your contributions.

• Tell your boss you would like her input about how she views your work. Tell the boss you'd like to sit down with him regularly to obtain feedback, both good and bad, so you can improve.



• Offer to chair an employee recognition team that can develop a process for recognizing the hard work and efforts of all your coworkers. After all, if you're feeling unappreciated, you can bet others are, too.



• Sometimes, feeling unappreciated has to do with money. Ask your manager for a raise or ask when you can expect your compensation review. Follow up to make sure it happens.