When Recognition is Not Top of Mind Too frequently, the recognition and incentive systems that you have in place are not the highest priority for many people. And when employees themselves are not on board to consider others, you know that you have a problem.
What is needed to enhance the importance and value of recognition? When Selected Recognition is not on top of mind.
When selected recognition is not on top of the mind
LEADERSHIP
While acknowledgment should not be the full responsibility of your leaders, it is still management that sets a tone and sets a good example for the entire organization.
Some leaders are far more managerial in their actions and do not have a personal relationship with employees. They have to learn to be leaders.
Visionary and inspirational. Otherwise, this apathy may cause senior managers not to be outstanding in terms of recognition.
I can see this in leaders not approving award/reward nominations right away, or not at all when an employee wants to recognize and reward another employee that requires approval.
Poor leadership happens when leaders do not start recognition comments or recognition experiences and practices in their daily lives.
Leaders must become the face of recognition. Have a candid conversation with leaders on the topic. Find out their familiarity and comfort with using your internal recognition program(s).
Pull off a report with their annual usage and see how well they interact with the program(s). Now create a plan and facilitate some goal setting of various practices and actions they accomplish on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
Provide them with whatever coaching, resources, and education they need.
CULTURE
Your corporate culture will guide the process of recognition and will enhance the culture, beliefs, and values. You can sum up culture as the way you do things in your company.
So, how’s the recognition handled in your organization? Is it done right, or is it done badly? Too often, I have seen employees saying that they feel recognized for their work every week.
It’s interesting when you look at the corporate culture and start asking employees in the corridor (or on a call these days!) whether they know the principles of the company.
I have generally found that when values are short and brief and incorporated into strategy and decision-making, the majority of workers will tell you much of the values when asked.
Review your organizational culture from the clearly stated mission, vision, and values. Compare that with the reality of how people live the culture.
Does the organization need to revise the values or other elements? Is there a need to conduct focus groups to find out what collectively everyone needs to continue, stop, start doing, and make the culture vibrant and living?
STRATEGY
I am stunned by the World at Work survey of 2019, which found that only 49% of the companies surveyed had a written recognition plan. When Recognition is Not Top of Mind.
They also found that 97% of these companies match their written recognition policy with their business strategy. That’s the clinker, and there’s something both of us would aspire to do.
You need a written identification plan to keep it at the top of your mind. If recognition is not at the forefront of your mind, you can see it manifest with leaders not recognizing the relation between recognition and rewards.
So as an important driver of commitment, performance, and retention. Take a look at the human resources or people’s plans and see if they provide recognition and incentives, if at all.
Promote the leaders to demonstrate the strategic power of appreciation and reward driving performance. Consider performing a pilot study to compare the use of various non-monetary and monetary appreciation and incentive systems.
EXPECTATION
When recognition doesn’t happen the way it should be done in an organization. I’m trying to examine what the criteria were for recognition and incentives.
You want the members to set an example for the appreciation of all employees at all levels of the company. It’s when representatives step out of their offices and directly interact with staff that recognition occurs.
The amount of interactions a person has with their direct reports is the leading indicator of further recognition. I’ve seen outstanding leaders interact with their employees in the cafeteria area.
They have group meetings with workers to learn how the company could change. Their full presence and engagement are also evident at all ceremonies and celebrations.
Leaders of organizations must set the expectation for all their direct report leaders to follow their example and consistently recognize their staff and reward high performance.
Assist your leaders with the specific goals and objectives, the wording they may have to use, as they communicate the expectation with their direct reports for recognizing and rewarding staff.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Here’s a significant breakdown cause for recognition not being top of mind. A lack of accountability. If you never bring recognition up in your one-on-one’s or leadership team meetings, nothing will happen, and nothing will change.
Roger Connors, co-founder and former CEO of Partners In Leadership says, “When properly approached, accountability can be the low-hanging fruit for optimizing organizational performance and accelerating organizational change efforts.”
Let the reports of your recognition programs become an essential tool to use with your leaders’ performance management.
Accountability must also mean providing constructive reviews and reinforcing outstanding appreciation by members. The positive effect they have had because they have adequately acknowledged and expressed their gratitude for the work they have done well.
COMMUNICATION
The workplace has changed significantly in the last several months, and recognition is not the only thing to address.
When we get overwhelmed with work tasks and people’s concerns, it’s easy to overlook recognition practices and consistently use your recognition program.
This is especially the case when reward systems are invisible, with no wall space to see your programs daily. Use interaction to correct this and make recognition and rewards noticeable, but both front and center.
Build a recognition contact calendar to highlight and connect people to interesting and helpful posts, videos, and other educational tools.
Having a calendar allows you to repeat reminders to apply for award nominations, pause to say something when someone supports someone else, or does something great, to encourage people to use their social and performance appreciation and incentive systems.
For you
These and many other ideas and methods will help you to put recognition at the forefront for leaders and employees alike.
