This article relates to the Recognition competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of how the performance of one team was affected when the powerful motivator of daily praise and recognition disappeared. This competency also explores what type of behavior is appreciated and rewarded within your organization. Studies show that employees who receive regular recognition and praise are more likely to increase their individual productivity levels, increase engagement with their colleagues, and stay longer at the organization. Evaluating this competency can be especially useful if your organization is experiencing low productivity levels or ineffective teamwork.
This short story, The Best Incentives Are Free, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It illustrates the value of praise and recognition as a powerful, cost-effective motivator available to managers on a daily basis.
Anonymous Submission
I work at a company that prides itself on the exceptional quality of its customer service. As employees, we handle a variety of customer issues and concerns by phone, as well as mail and e-mail. In the past, my team has won several awards due to the enormous amount of positive feedback we consistently received from satisfied clients.
Recently, the situation changed. Our manager informed us that for some reason, our productivity was down. We would need to direct our focus toward handling a larger number of customers per hour each day. We were told that quantity was of the utmost importance. Since our team already demonstrated that it could excel in terms of quality, the change in focus should present no problem.
We operated under this direction for a time, focusing only on the number of customers serviced each hour. After a while, the service awards stopped. We no longer received the daily praise and recognition for a situation expertly handled or a glowing review e-mailed to our manager from a valued customer.
When the company examined the results of an employee satisfaction survey, they showed that our team members experienced a substantial decrease in motivation when the daily recognition and praise stopped. Our team, as well as other employees throughout the company, ranked it as one of their most powerful incentives to providing the highest quality service - and for meeting the required quotas of cases handled. The team members expressed the opinion that superb customer service was their job description - no extra reward was needed, but praise and recognition for a job well done was billed as the most effective motivator.
Upon review of the employee survey results, management realized the mistake made. Ignoring or minimizing the importance of our achievements in quality had caused our team morale to decline, as well as the quality of our work, even though we had produced the required numbers.
The solution? Daily praise and recognition, given sincerely, positively, and specifically, must be reinstituted. Smart managers use this powerful motivational tool as often as possible. It's a cost-effective (free), proven productivity booster that enhances morale and creates a better all around workplace environment.
AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.
Increase Golf Swing Speed Easily Golf swing speed is an elusive term for most amateur golfers. We've all heard of it and know it relates somehow to longer drives, but how can we increase golf ...
Las Vegas Odds & Ends The Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook again paces the pack by posting the first lines on over/under season win totals for all NBA teams. The popular SuperBook proposit...
Love What You Do! I want to share with you a great success story from one of my clients, Susan*, because I am so proud of her. Susan had been working in the computer industry sin...
What To Expect From A Feng Shui Consultation If you are wishing to harmonize or balance your house or any other environment according to feng shui, the ideal way to do so is through a feng shui consultatio...
Secrets Of The Avid Golfer Every avid golfer has got to be the sort of person who enjoys the game immensely. It has been proven that we tend to be very good at doings things that we enjoy...
Blog or Ezine? Top 7 Reasons to Blog Now! A blog is a form of online journal that business owners use to develop customer relationships and establish credibility. Blog authors write and post relevant co...
Bathroom Designs Idea - Can I Design My Own Bathroom? Here's a bathroom designs idea -- can I really design my own bathroom? Why not! Today, the bathroom is much more than just a room for grooming and a place to ...
Advertising in Newsletters Brief discussion concerning about advertising in electronic newsletters, or ezines as they are commonly known.
Free Marketing = Effective Marketing According to Google.com there are over three billion web pages online today. So what are you doing to separate yourself from the crowd? How are you targeting yo...
Slash Your Acne Supplement Expenses with Food You don't have to spend a fortune on supplements when food provides all the nutrients you need to have clear skin. Herbs and supplements that provide support fo...
Dietary Recommendations After Gastric Bypass Surgery When obesity gets out of hand, unresponsive to dietary, lifestyle and medical interventions, drastic measures are needed to cut down calorie intake. Morbid obes...
Keeping the Dream Alive Like the song by Linda Ronstadt, "a dream is a wish that your heart makes." To lose a dream is to die a little yourself. It means closing down the part of you t...
Writing Marketing Copy That Sells Learn to get your prospects' attention with your marketing copy and keep them reading so they contact you and buy your products
and services.
Dress as Though You Mean Business What do they see when they see you coming? Often people judge the quality of your ideas by what you wear. Don't inadvertently send the wrong impression!
What is MLM ? Multilevel Marketing is one of the fastest growing yet most misunderstood methods of moving products in use today. It has been termed by many as the Wave-of-the...
Tips to Entertaining a Thanksgiving Crowd Throwing a fun and informal Thanksgiving party is as easy as pumpkin pie. By following our tips you can host a holiday celebration that your family and friends...
Print this page