Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER December 11, 2017 FEATURES 17 Order your copy today. Visit www.store.thomsonreuters.ca or call 1-800-387-5164 for a 30-day, no risk evaluation ONTARIO LAWYER'S PHONE BOOK 2018 Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario with more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references. You can depend on the accuracy of this trusted directory that includes the most up-to-date names, phone numbers, mailing addresses and emails so you don't have to search anywhere else. 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(prices subject to change without notice) Your instant connection to ONTARIO'S LEGAL NETWORK RECOGNITION How to avoid people having negative reactions to recognition programs Many programs have components that lead to perceptions of inauthenticity By Paul White I n the past two decades, busi- ness and organizational lead- ers have been told they need to have an employee recogni- tion program to keep employ- ees happy and motivated. As a result, recognition programs have proliferated. But the impact of employee recognition is mixed. On the one hand, well-designed and effective- ly implemented employee recog- nition programs have been shown to increase performance. On the other, they have had little impact on employee engagement — only 33 per cent of employees world- wide are actively involved in, and emotionally committed to, their place of employment, according to a 2017 survey of employers in 155 countries by Gallup. What's more, 96 per cent of all recognition awards given by Canadian organizations are for length of service, according to a survey of 383 organizations by the Conference Board of Canada — which has very little impact on motivating staff. Recognition versus appreciation Although recognition programs are well-intentioned, they often have an unintended, negative im- pact. For example, many employ- ees don't want to go up in front of a large group to accept an award. Additionally, many traditional employee recognition programs have components that lead to a perception of inauthenticity. For example, when they are: • commanded — when everyone has to participate (whether they like it or not), recognition is not viewed as genuine • organizationally driven — the recognition comes from either the HR department or a higher level organizational leader who has no relationship with the recipient • group-based — a lot of recogni- tion is communicated to groups: "Way to go, team, we met our goals for the quarter!" but the message says nothing about the team member who stayed late to enter the data to make sure the report was submitted in time • generic — when everyone gets the same certificate and gift card, the recipient feels treated like ev- eryone else • emphasis on verbal praise — many supervisors have been trained to give verbal compli- ments as a way of encouraging others. But more than 50 per cent of people in 2017 prefer to be shown appreciation in other ways, according to my research involving 100,000 people taking an online assessment around appreciation. Their mantra is "Don't tell me, show me" • reliance on rewards — virtu- ally every employee recognition program emphasizes rewards as a key component. Unfortunately, less than 10 per cent of employ- ees desire tangible rewards as the primary way to be recognized, according to the same research. While most people don't mind receiving some type of gift, the generic nature of the typical award — a recognition plaque or certificate — is viewed as super- ficial and disingenuous. So what's the result of these characteristics? Apathy, sarcasm and cynicism. e importance of appreciation Conversely, employees want to truly feel appreciated by their supervisors and colleagues. Each person wants to know that what they are doing matters, and that they are valued as people. e top reason employees enjoy their work is "feeling appreciated" (with financial compensation not ap- pearing until number eight), ac- cording to a 2014 study of more than 200,000 global employees by the Boston Consulting Group. A key principle to understand is that not everyone feels valued or encouraged in the same way. While giving verbal praise may be meaningful to some, others might think: "Words are cheap." Spending time is another way to demonstrate support. One staff member reported, "I just want my supervisor to stop by my office ev- ery once in a while and see how I'm doing." Bringing a colleague a cup of coffee when you know she's had a long day is yet another way to show you appreciate her efforts. Even a high-five can be a form of acknowledgement when a prob- lem has been resolved. ere are four key components of appreciation necessary for team members to truly feel valued: •Communicate regularly: Com- municating praise once or twice per year at an employee's per- formance review, or monthly awards, doesn't get it done. People need frequent feedback to know they are valued. •Be individualized and personal: A blast email to a team saying, "Good job, team, way to get the project done" is not as effective as managers think. Focusing on the individual and his spe- cific contribution is far more meaningful. •Be meaningful in language and actions: Most people attempt to communicate appreciation in ways that are meaningful to them, but leaders need to learn to communicate appreciation using actions that are important to the recipient. •Be perceived as authentic: e biggest complaint about employ- ee recognition programs is they feel contrived and disingenuous. e goal is not to "go through the motions" but to authenti- cally communicate appreciation for the value each team member contributes to the organization. Expressing appreciation It's important to make apprecia- tion personal. While group-based recognition is a good start, a team member wants to know (and hear about) what she has done that is valued. State specifically what she did — and tell her why her actions were important to you, the orga- nization or customers. Being genuine is also key. If the communication of appreciation is not perceived as being genuine, nothing else really matters. Clear- ly, if you don't mean it, don't say it. e results e goal of communicating au- thentic appreciation is not just to make people feel good. ere are significant financial benefits to an organization, such as improved attendance, reduced workplace conflict, reduced turnover, in- creased productivity, increased customer satisfaction, and in- creased engagement. When employees feel truly val- ued, overall staff morale improves and a workplace becomes more positive. In combination with an effective employee recognition program that focuses on produc- tivity, appreciation by supervisors and colleagues for people's contri- butions to the organization makes good things happen. Paul White is a licenced psychologist and author of e Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation. He can be reached at paul@drpaulwhite.com. Credit: kentoh (Shutterstock)

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