More on Recognition

So, you want examples?  Everyone wants examples, it is much more helpful than all this talk, talk, talk.  Alright, here are two examples of recognition that I find meaningful.  The key again, is that it is done with sincerity and genuine appreciation - people can see right through the phony stuff...


Small 'thank you' cards.  These are not the fold-open, greeting card type. They are a little bigger than a post-it note and if you want to be a little more formal, go with a thicker card stock paper, so its like a small postcard.  Make a design or use clip-art or whatever suites your fancy to make it fun.  I have seen ones with a picture of a rock on it that says "You Rock!", or the image of a thumbs-up (think Facebook). You can simply have 'Thanks' or 'Thank You' written in bold for simplicity.  Leave it as open white space, or add lines to keep your writing neat, but the most important thing is to write it by hand and sign your name (this makes it personal & it means more), then leave it on the person's chair, keyboard, work station, locker, cubbie, etc.

When to use it?  Don't overdo it, but use these regularly for the little things people do day-to-day. If you have multiple people that work for you, be aware so as not to give out the 'thank you' cards to the same people and ignore others. Trust me, unless you have a real problem on your hands, everyone is doing the small stuff that deserves a thank you once in a while.

Some examples:
"I overheard you with a client yesterday, and you did a great job explaining XXX.  Keep it up!"
"Thanks for working late last night to finish up that customer order. I really appreciate all the time you put in."
"You went over & above what I would expect on the XXX. I couldn't have done it without you!"


Large award certificates.  These are more formal and typically come with a monetary reward of some kind.  The rewards can range to whatever your budget allows, it simply shows that what the employee did, you value at more than just a 'thank you'.  See below for ideas.  In terms of the certificate itself, I have gotten these in the past, and the one thing I would point out is that while its nice to have a certificate of appreciation with your name on it, the more important thing is to remember why you got it.  If possible, make room to type out the reason on the certificate itself.

When to use it?  These awards are for the bigger impact stuff.  If a customer speaks to the manager - or writes a letter - telling you that an employee did a terrific job, it deserves more than just a thank you.  That a customer took the time to rave about the service they received doesn't happen often and it should be a big deal.  If the employee covered someone else's shift and busted their butt to get things done & without them you would have been in bad spot, reward them. They will do it for you again the next time if they know they are appreciated.  Oh, and these, unlike the 'thank you' cards above, should be celebrated in front of peers.  Show everyone else they work with how much you appreciate them when they do the big things.

Examples of rewards:
Free lunch
Movie tickets
Gift certificates
Lottery tickets
Free oil change
Amusement park or event tickets 
Gift baskets

If there is something specific to your business that employees don't already get as a perk, think about that as well. If these types of gifts aren't in the budget, you could also allow the person to leave 15/30/45 minutes early on a slow day, for example. Try as much as you can to make the reward meaningful to the person.  Don't hand over movie tickets because you have a ton of them sitting around, when you know for a fact this person doesn't go to the movies.

Next time around, we will discuss the idea of coaching for success.  It really does work!