Informal Recognition: Little Acts of Appreciation Really Count

It's WOW Wednesday! HR leaders, execs, and managers: How do you WOW the people who go above and beyond for you in your business? Or, how have you been WOWed?

Today's WOW Wednesday idea comes from Cam.
"We have a well developed recognition program for anniversary levels of employees. We're working on a developing a more informal program. Busy people overlook giving kudos now and then. Just walking by and saying '"I appreciate you" makes a difference. We gave out Terryberry's Recognize Me! boxes to three supervisors for a test and we hope to do this across the company within the year!"

Share your own "WOW Wednesday" tip or story. Leave a comment here or post on www.facebook.com/TerryberryCompany or Twitter using hashtag #WOWWED. Make it a WOW day!

Building Blocks of Recognition

I was at an HR Conference this week in St. Louis and heard a neat recognition idea from the University of Texas at Austin. A creative manager there came up with the idea to recognize positive contributions from employees on the spot by presenting a Lego. The Legos represent a dollar value which can be accumulated and redeemed for special awards. As employees receive recognition over time, they build little Recognition towers made of Legos which occupy a spot on their desks. For this university, it's a fun way for employees to keep a visible reminder of management's appreciation for their extra effort.

Work Day Bingo

Recently when presenting to a Human Resources group in North Andover, Massachusetts about motivating employees there were some great informal ideas flying around the room. One Human Resource professionals from a nearby retirement community talked about a practice they have of quarterly Cover-all Bingo.

If the employee teams hit certain metrics over the course of a quarter then the group is rewarded with a day long bingo game. Over the course of the day, there are periodic announcements over the intercom that could include; B-14 or O-68. Employees, who are actively engaged at the time with facility residents, then mark the Bingo card they were given at the start of the day as they work towards being a Bingo winner.

The game goes on throughout the work day until a certain predetermined number of employees reach the cover all level. This HR Director indicated that it makes for festive day with numerous winners (who are then able to select from a group of nice awards) and spontaneous celebrate often contingent on the numbers being announced. She indicated, you will hear YIPPEE or DARN echo through the halls facility but at the end of the day everyone seems to have a good time!

Informal Worksite Recognition

Earlier this month I was in Amarillo, Texas speaking to a group of Human Resource professionals about recognition and we were sharing informal recognition ideas. A Human Resource professional from a local contractor firm spoke about a coveted award in their organization. She talked about how often times on a worksite when an individual is performing at an extra high level and deserves acknowledgement that the foreman in charge of the group will frequently take advantage of a lunch break to make an informal recognition presentation. The presentation requires more then just pulling the crews heads out of their lunch pails and mentioning the individual's contribution.

The foreman does a little pre-work to insure the presentation is memorable. Without notifying the recipient the crew passes around an extra 2 x 4 and the group all signs it, often times thanking the soon to be recognized crew member. This inexpensive yet, one of a kind award is then presented over the lunch break.

According to this Human Resource Manager, these signed 2 x 4s are consistently held closely by those who have received them. Like we see so many times the act of recognition is very important and then having a unique award that evokes memories of their achievement creates a lasting memory that drives people going forward!

Nice Catch

We recently heard about a great informal peer to peer recognition program being used by a company in Mentor, Ohio. This manufacturing facility was looking to encourage employees to catch fellow workers doing extraordinary things and was charged with finding a way recognize these actions.

The program they developed, the NICE CATCH award, started when Human Resources and other company leaders initially saw an employee doing something above and beyond their normal responsibility. The awarded would be presented with a full-size football and a Sharpie marker. The recipient would sign the ball and then it became their responsibility to "catch" fellow employee. When they were able to locate the individual, the football and marker would be passed along for signature and of course, it became the next recipient's job to locate the next winner.

The program took off very nicely and the business had 8-10 footballs in circulation at any given time. When a ball was covered with names it would be retired to a display case near the door where employees entered the building. In the display case the balls were supported by tees that were signed by the company's leadership to symbolize the fact that management supports the program and the employees.

The feedback from company leadership has been very positive. They feel they've developed a traveling trophy that acts as continual reminder to employees about what the company values and how great catches happen every day!

Put it in Writing

A handwritten note is something pretty special these days. It says to the recipient that you took some time and put some thought into what you put on the paper. If you present awards to employees, consider including a personally written note with a special award that you present to an employee. Or try keeping a pack of notes in your desk drawer. Keep it somewhere where it will catch your eye on a daily basis and remind you to jot off a quick note to thank an employee when you've caught them in the act of going that extra mile.