What are some great ways to recognize team members for accomplishments?
One thing I love to do is nominate my team members for an internal rewards & recognition program we have when they do something outstanding.
What other ways have you found to recognize your teams for going above and beyond, or even just for a job well done?
Tags: leadership, project management
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sandy Heierbacher on -
I like Denny's staff meetings idea, Raymond, but I'm not so sure about the birthday lunch idea. What if you don't WANT to have lunch with your boss on your birthday?? :)
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Permalink Reply by Keena Cauthen on -
I did two things on my team... first, I bought some "You Make a Difference" coins and put them on the team in a bowl. These were available for anyone to give to another team member who they felt had made a difference to them, either by helping, training, or even just listening -- did not have to be directly related to work, as we all know how sometimes life interferes at work and having someone listen or help there can redirect your focus on work. Don't get me wrong, the coins were for co-workers, not for folks at home, but if you have a good friend at work that you can unload, even a little on, it can help. Then I bought some small office items, recognition awards, and such and put them in a shopping center. I set goals for the team, in alignment with the stations goals, and based upon how they did towards those goals, they got certain number of points and at the end of the month, they got to go shopping in the store. This was a hit, because there was a wide range of items, to appeal to everyone (coffe cups, water bottles, back packs, mouse pads, pens, paper weights, etc) and none of it was marked with the office/station logo. I went with the theme, You Make A Difference, because every case we touch makes a difference to someone and they were not feeling appreciated by upper management. During this time, there was a lot of stress, a lot of pressure to over-perform, with no thanks for those who did. This was my way to keep my team focused, striving to do their best, and to feel appreciated.
In addition, we had "Star" cards, which were given to the two stars each month. This I did based upon recommendations from peers and personal observations. The Star card allows the holder to take 1 hour off, admin leave, at a future date of their choosing. These were given out at the team meetings, with the reason for the award read off.
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Permalink Reply by Sandy Heierbacher on
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I love these ideas, Keena! You sounds like you would be a wonderful person to work with.
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Permalink Reply by Kathleen Smith on -
I think incorporating recognition into your overall leadership style is important. Recognizing people frequently for their input and contribution rather than waiting weekly, monthly or annually fosters a positive atmosphere where members feel that their contributions are worthwhile.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Nankivel on -
I agree 100% - I think a combination approach is usually best. I like the immediate feedback model put forth by the Manager Tools guys. 15 seconds is all it takes to give on-the-spot feedback, and I find that 80-90% of the time, it's positive.
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Permalink Reply by Katelyn Keegan on -
My office uses the OZ System Principles to keep everyone accountable and to recognize achievements, they developed cards and gave them to everyone to fill out and to pass on to coworkers. They say "I want to recognize (fill in name) for demostrating (Corporate Culture Belief) in the following manner (how they did so). By doing this, they have positively impacted the following Key Desired Result(s): (Corporate Key Desired Result). Given by: (your name) Date: (Date)" On the back of the cards are our cultural beliefs (for example: Deliver Results, Collaborate, Speak Out, Be Decisive, Be Responsive, Celebrate Success) along with a short definition of each. Also on the back of the cards are the organizations key desired results so you can easily fill the card in. Both leadership and colleagues use them and you can walk by anyone's desk and seem them proudly displayed on cube walls. It's not much, but it does remind you to strive to uphold our cultural beliefs and to work toward our key desired results.
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Permalink Reply by Ken Boxer on -
I enjoy sending out cards to the folks in my organization. Sometimes a little gesture goes a long way. I also captured a few other ideas in my blog Celebrating Valentine's Day in the Workplace as I think that recognition and employee engagement and retention go hand in hand.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Nankivel on
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I absolutely agree Ken, recognition/engagement and retention are intimately linked!
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Permalink Reply by Nancy Heltman on -
We have a great program at Virginia State Parks. We do significant customer service training and emphasize internal customers in addition to our external customers. Internal and external customers alike can submit FOCUS cards (that's what our program is called) to recognize staff that go the extra mile. For external customers, if we get emails or other notes mentioning special thanks to staff members (and our volunteers) we convert them to the card system. We work pretty hard to make sure the person gets recognized even if the customer doesn't remember the name of the person who helped them. The first card an employee gets comes with a special certificate from our Director. All of the cards are presented by the Supervisor to the employee. Other forms of recognition are also encouraged. It's been a great program for us.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Nankivel on
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Do you know if the supervisors just give the awards in person, or are they always given out at a team meeting or other group function?
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Permalink Reply by Terry Geigle on -
I have had lunch or supper catered in when projects needed to be completed quickly. It lifts everyone's spirits. It keeps the employees in the work area, during the lunch break. I order food high in protein, to keep work at it's peak.
For small rewards, I have created a contest with the winner receiving a large candy bar.
I bring in a birthday cake, card, and balloon for each employee"s birthday.
I think I have a very good group of employees. On several occassions they have gone above and beyond their job description, without being asked.
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Permalink Reply by Josh Nankivel on
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Excellent ideas Terry, thank you!
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