On Top of Real Recognition: Top 10 Actions for Your Recognition Stimulus Package February 27, 2009 The government shouldn't be the only one working on a stimulus package.
By Roy Saunderson
President Obama and Congress are working on a bold economic stimulus plan to turn the economy around yet layoffs, cutbacks and shutdowns continue. With the economic uncertainty having no end in sight, leading organizations are cutting back on reward budgets but they shouldn't cut back on recognition. Instead, companies need to create their own bold stimulus programs offering economic rewards with meaningful recognition.
1. Create a stimulus plan to strengthen your recognition practices by setting clear expectations of specific recognition behaviors to be practiced by everyone, even if rewards end up getting cut.
2. Don't drag your feet on recognition giving but develop a 100-day recognition action plan detailing initiatives to show employees you really care and intend to boost morale.
3. If you can't say something nice, say nothing at all. Stop negative communications and instead focus solely on hope coupled with proof of collective action performed by everyone in the company.
4. Establish a Recognition Stimulus team made of leaders and employees to ensure implementation of all recognition action plans; have them solicit ideas and input for improvements; and hold monthly return and report meetings to provide concrete accountability.
5. Get one bold action started right away, such as your company CEO/president announcing what he or she will start doing to acknowledge employees better for the great work happening.
6. Fix some of the failing corporate infrastructure, like communications between people and departments, so recognition actions are not seen as phony attempts to appease employees.
7. If you have virtual offices, use every available medium from Webinars to conference calls to video cams. Bring everyone together to acknowledge people’s actions that are contributing to keeping you in business.
8. The only investment needed to boost the morale of today’s employees is taking time to notice each person's actions and telling them to their face how much you appreciate what they are doing.
9. Leaders must get out of the office and make time to personally congratulate all players. Walk-around hand-shakes are essential for morale-building in today’s troubled economic times.
10. Jumpstart innovative ideas for saving money and time, reducing waste, improving production and generating income, by using monies saved or generated as a self-perpetuating rewards fund to honor and recognize people for thinking outside of the box.
INCENTIVE online columnist Roy Saunderson, author of Giving the Real Recognition Way , is president of Recognition Management Institute (www.realrecognition.com) which consults with companies on improving employee motivation leading to increased productivity and profits. He can be reached at RoySaunderson@realrecognition.com.
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