Having a lunch meeting with your team outside of your office can be fun and if your family can also be a part of it then that makes it the cherry on top. Well, ask me why I feel so. I am amazed at the way I have been regarded by my husband’s employer. Recently my husband had to make several trips out of town for official business. A few days after he was back home, I got a note from his manager thanking me for the “support that I was providing at home which helped my husband do bigger things for them on the road’ that blew my mind away..
Being in HR, I can really sense the power of that simple recognition, which made me feel awesome as well as committed. A feeling of commitment to them that my husband works with good people and would never think of changing his employer.
How great is that organization’s culture that an employer takes time to individually recognize their employees and help create an in built trust among the workforce. Here are few things to consider while you recognize and appreciate your employees that can make a huge Impact:
Avoid general praise: A little thank you will go a long way but you must understand the difference between Thanking with Impact vs generally praising your employees just by saying Hey thank you, Good Job or well done !!
I have noticed that employees who are passionately committed and spend late hours in finishing particular projects often feel left out or disregarded. Just simply saying a thank you for someone’s remarkable performance may not create an impact and would not motivate him enough to put in the same level of interest and effort next time and can lead to him being disengaged.
So how about explicitly recognizing it in a very purposeful manner? As an example, to an employee who has worked late last night to clear and approve all invoices before paychecks are given out.
‘I really appreciate that you have stayed last night and accurately finished clearing all invoices before payroll locks. This helped every employee get their salary on time along with zero deductions in their expenses as well’.
How great he feels when he hears this!! Think of the impact if you address this lightly by simply saying ‘Thank you”. That sucks!!
Hand written Thank you Note: Here I must cite the example of one of the most influential CEOs in the world, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCO, who sends hand-written thank-you letters every quarter to the spouses of executives and even to their parents for putting up with their long hours away from home. Rather than just sending an appreciation certificate it can be more valuable if you write a personal note that shows how important your team is to you. It can take few hours to write a personalized letter or note but it pays off.
Appreciate in front of a group: Timely appreciation and recognition is necessary to keep you employees feel valued and motivated. Recognize your team’s remarkable achievement and appreciate them in front of your team members bring them respect and will make others inspire to perform in their work.
The foremost thing that can keep them engaged is the satisfaction and recognition for what they do in their day to day work and their career advancement within the organization. Here I am leaving it to you to share your comments on how do you recognize your team with Impact.
