Don’t Underestimate the Power of Employee Recognition

Posted By: Jeanie Hagen-Greene No Comments April 28, 2010

I was facilitating a Power Hour a couple of weeks ago for a client, and was reminded of the power of recognizing employees. 

The client has a recognition program in which employees are encouraged to send a Star Card email or write a Star note recognizing another employee for an action that resulted in a positive outcome or just “made a difference” to the other party.   The employee’s supervisor is copied on the email.  The action is usually something above and beyond or outside the normal scope of the job, but doesn’t necessarily need to be something “big.”  For example: one employee taking the initiative to help another with a computer issue so the time to contact the IT department was avoided; or an employee volunteering to cover the phones so the admin staff could go out for a department lunch. 

The supervisor who monitors this program commented that she is amazed at how much people appreciate the simplest recognition.   She sends a congratulations email to acknowledged employees inviting them to come to her office to select a prize (balloons that say “STAR” on them, cute little pens and company logo items such as mugs, flashlights, notepads, paperweights, key chains, etc.).   And, WHOOSH! Employees arrive in the supervisor’s office in what seems like seconds.  This sequence happens almost every time a congrats email is sent to an employee.

In this day of work overload and tight budgets, the basic need to be acknowledged for a job well done provides a not-to-be-missed opportunity to create a positive, motivating work environment!

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