Gold Star Success
In our fast paced society, many people do not take the time to recognize the contributions of others and also do not pat themselves on their own backs. Although verbal praise is welcomed by most, other types of rewards have a more positive and long lasting impact if properly executed and more importantly, fit the needs of the individual. The key factor is to determine if the individual sees it as a true reward and will thus increase their productivity or one that is anticipated every time so the effort slacks off eventually. In addition, as individuals do we tend to cross off the chore on the to-do list and then move on to the next item, or do we reward ourselves for a job well done?
For a moment, remember a time when you were in school and the teacher gave you a gold star. Think about how happy you were and how you wanted to share your good news with others. Now try to recreate that feeling for yourself in your workplace. Difficult to do? Probably – especially with the economy still struggling, companies cutting back on expenses, and people spending less.
Rewarding has to be more creative; rewards that were successful in the past do not hold the same value now. According to the book, Drive – The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us, author Daniel Pink explores the difference in the workplace between algorithmic people (”those that “follow a set of established instructions down a single pathway to one conclusion”) and heuristics people (”those that experiment with possibilities and devise a novel solution”). In the past, most jobs were based on the philosophy that if you did your job you would be rewarded and if not, you were punished; in general, the practice was to reward with a cash compensation paid in set intervals. The algorithmic mindset worked well under these circumstances.
Nowadays some companies are experimenting with novel methods on how to motivate and reward their staffs which heuristics thrive and are highly motivated. One that is particularly interesting that Pink discusses is letting employees spend 20% of their time working on projects that the employee develops on their own. This allows for greater creativity and is more of an intrinsic reward which brings greater meaning to the individual. He cites several examples of how this has been successful including the introduction of Google Mail.
Regardless of which incentive/motivation plan a company implements, it is recommended to start off small and see what the responses are from employees. Instant gratification is always welcomed but that only has a short-term effect (this can also apply to individuals i.e. losing weight for a particular event and then gaining it back). Constant monitoring will be needed but the payoffs can be substantial. Companies should also consider “who” is offering the rewards. Conventional wisdom was that the boss and senior management offered these rewards but a more modern concept would be to consider having peers make recommendations too. This fosters more team unity and loyalty as well.
Although work is a four letter word that most would like to avoid, it can also bring a real sense of accomplishment for the individual and ultimately for the organization if implemented correctly. Listed below are some recognition ideas that companies can easily execute if they do not have the inclination or ability to institute a larger scale program now. The key thing is to develop a program where the employee receives some kind of gold star.
Here is a list of recognition ideas -
Achievement certificate
Article in company newsletter
Work area upgrade
Temporary help for a day
Special parking space
Attend a conference
Work at home option
Clothing item (i.e. sweatshirt, T-shirt, baseball cap)
Pen
Training opportunities
Cake or homemade cookies
Pick a special project
Flowers
Gift card
Party
Bigger office
Handwritten note or call
Flex hours or time off
Dress down time
Meeting with President
Wall of Fame
Bring your child/pet to work
And of course, gold star!
