Want your employees to be eager to come into work every day? Learn how to effectively reward and recognize them.
Rewards Vs Recognition
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Jansch]Nathan Jansch
If you have employees (even just one), there is a fine art to taking care of them. Unfortunately, many employers who have small offices and few employees forget that size really doesn’t matter – what does matter is treating your people in a manner that will encourage them to remain loyal to you, that will make them feel valued and important, and that reduces turnover and absenteeism. In short, you want to make your company a place that people are eager to return to on Monday morning – or any morning, for that matter.
One simple way of treating your employees well is by rewarding and recognizing them. Rewarding and recognizing employees motivates them. Now, rewarding and recognizing are two very different things. A reward is an external motivator, while recognition is an internal one. In other words, money is a reward. A pat on the back and a word of thanks is recognition. See the difference? Even though they’re different, they’re both vitally important. Below are some tips on how to effectively recognize and reward your employees.
Recognize
• Thank people often for their efforts and ideas. Do it privately and publicly. Don’t be stingy with praise, but don’t throw it around insincerely with an end in mind, because people will sense your ulterior motives. Remember that praise too freely given (“Hey, great job! You got out of bed today!”) loses its value.
• Write personal notes detailing your appreciation for your employees. Hand-written notes mean more than ever in this technology-saturated age. The effort and thought alone sends a powerful message.
• Celebrate special effort. If an employee goes above and beyond, make a big deal out of it. Write about it in the company newsletter. Send out an at-major email to brag on your employee. Put it up on the bulletin board. Your employee will feel like a rock star.
• Initiate a program where employees can recognize each other – i.e., a “I caught so-and-so giving outstanding customer service” form.
• Remember employees’ birthdays and buy a cake for all to share. Take time out during the workday and invite all employees into the conference room for a quick birthday party.
Reward
• Give people time off. Many people appreciate having time off to do other things, especially when their home and work schedules are normally hectic.
• If you don’t already have one, put together an employee of the month program. Build in a reward, such as movie tickets, or a restaurant gift card, or even a gift basket full of goodies.
• Surprise your employees. Throw an impromptu lunch barbecue, or take everyone out for lunch. Take them to an arcade for an afternoon of “hooky.”
• Give everyone the option of leaving at noon on Friday every once in a while.
• Contribute to your employee’s favorite charity.
• Take photos throughout the year and give out albums of photos at the end of the year.
• Throw holiday office parties. These don’t need to be expensive affairs, just festive and fun.
Nathan Jansch is owner and president of The Boardroom Executive Suites in Denver, Colo., which provides office space, virtual office services, conference room rentals, telephone answering, and other services and amenities to small and medium sized businesses. To compare executive suites to traditional office space or subleases, visit the [http://www.boardroomdenver.com/comparison_charts.html]Boardroom Executive Suites website. Read the [http://boardroomdenver.wordpress.com]Denver Office News blog for helpful business news and advice, financial and real estate news, and working green tips.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Rewards-Vs-Recognition&id=7219814] Rewards Vs Recognition
