The StrategicPay Series blog is happy to welcome back guest Blogger Theresa Chambers of Recognition Works.  See below for additional contact information.  Thanks Theresa!

While leg warmers and feathered hair may be making a comeback, let's make sure your recognition programs aren't stuck in the 80s. Whether you are creating a program from the ground up or revamping an existing one, here are some tips to bring your recognition practices into the 21st century.

Employee of the Month programs are so 80s. We've heard all the jokes, "Whose turn is it this month?" or "Let's give it to Joe, he hasn't gotten it in a while." The impetus for recognizing great work doesn't happen because you turned the calendar from August to September. It needs to be deserving, for sure, but it also needs to be based on criteria that reinforces employee behaviors aligned with company values.

No surprises. Surprise awards are more about the shock value for those watching than truly honoring the person you're trying to recognize. If you are going to receive an award, wouldn't you like to know ahead of time? Some people love the fanfare and applause, while others prefer their recognition in private. When it comes to recognition, one size does not fit all, so it's always best to ask employees how they like to be recognized.

Don't show them the money. Harvard Business School's thought leader, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, captured it well, "Compensation is a right. Recognition is a gift." While 85% of employees surveyed say they want cash awards, only 9% actually spend it on a special personal treat for themselves. Cash disappears. Awards should serve as a tangible reminder of the achievement. It can be as simple as a framed certificate with signed accolades from coworkers or a retrofitted Oscar trophy with a superhero cape renamed FRED (friendly, resourceful, enthusiastic and dedicated).

Think strategy, not program. Recognition needs to be more than once a year celebration where only a small percentage of employees are honored and everyone else watches. A strategy is ongoing and multidimensional. The most important element is the day-to-day thank-you and acknowledgment. It's about creating a culture of appreciation where it's up to everyone to "notice out loud" when someone does something right for the company.

Involve employees in designing the recognition strategy. People own what they create and want to see it succeed. Committees should represent a diagonal cross section of your organization and its unique culture. Identify Recognition Ambassadors throughout the company who serve as the go-to person for ideas and resources.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful forms of recognition managers can use. People pay attention to who gets recognized and why. An effective presentation should tell the story about what the employee did, the positive impact it had, and how it was an example of one or more of the company values. Use multiple communication vehicles to share employee achievements, including the intranet, recognition bulletin boards and the company's Facebook page to post pictures and give coworkers an opportunity to add their congratulations. This works great for remote employees.

Maximize your managers. People join a company for the pay or benefits, but it's an employee's relationship with their manager that determines whether or not they stay and how engaged they are. Research suggests that employees need to receive recognition and praise for doing great work every seven days to stay actively engaged. Thankfully, giving effective recognition is a leadership skill that can be learned. In fact, training managers on recognition skills increases the occurrence of recognition by up to 50%.

As your business goals evolve, so should your employee recognition strategy. Your core values may remain the same, but it's always a good idea to take a fresh look at your recognition practices. Here's to keeping the ZING in recogniZING!

Theresa Chambers is the Chief Motivation Officer of Recognition Works and founder of the Puget Sound Recognition Roundtable. Visit www.recognitionworks.net for more info.

Appreciate the Employees You Have: The value of recognition escalates in a tough economy

The StrategicPay Blog is very pleased to welcome Theresa Chambers as a guest blogger. Theresa is the Chief Motivation Officer of Recognition Works, and an expert on recognition program design,development and implementation.  See below for her contact information.  Thanks for contributing Theresa!

In a challenging economic environment, the value and impact of employee recognition multiplies. While it may be financially prudent to scale back on expensive awards or events – which generally do little to increase employee engagement or productivity – let's not lose sight of what recognition is all about.

Whether your company is large or small, the truth is that the people working there want to know that what they do makes a positive difference. And they need to hear it now more than ever. A survey from the Center for Work Life Policy reported that trust and loyalty levels of workers are at an all time low. Only slightly more than half of those surveyed felt "loyal" to their company and nearly two-thirds said they felt "demotivated" at work.

Organizations need to appreciate the employees they have and acknowledge when they are being asked to step up and do more with less. Jim Harter from the Gallup Organization put it well, "Employee recognition is actually more important during difficult times than periods of prosperity. Recognition helps people to be resilient. Right now, businesses are trying to survive. And to survive you've got to have psychological resilience. We need employees who are positive despite the negative situations around them."

Companies – or more specifically, managers -- cannot afford to take employees for granted or assume people should just be thankful to have a job. In fact, company decisions resulting in layoffs could very well trigger their own solid performers to leave.  According to the Harvard Business Review, researchers found a strong relationship between layoffs and subsequent voluntary turnover. For example, layoffs targeting just 1% of the workforce preceded, on average, a 31% increase in overall turnover.

It's no accident that the companies on Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Places to Work list consistently outperform S&P 500 companies by 30-40%. Employee recognition is a critical component of their business models and they practice it.

The solution is available to everyone. A solid recognition strategy is built on a foundation of trust and respect. It involves integrating recognition into your company's culture and training managers on meaningful, low-cost ways to show appreciation for staff.  It starts at the most fundamental level: paying attention to people, making eye contact, smiling, saying "Good morning." This simple act communicates the message that "I see you. I care, and I'm glad you're here."

Appreciation starts with awareness: awareness of the things employees do well. Recognition is simply "noticing out loud."  It can take the form of a verbal comment for providing excellent service or a handwritten note to thank them for staying late to meet an important deadline.

Even though U.S. companies spend upwards of $300 billion a year on awards and incentives, 65% of employees say they don't receive recognition or praise at work. As organizations downsize their annual awards banquets, it doesn't mean less recognition for employees. It actually provides a perfect opportunity to get real about what recognition means to employees. It becomes less about the "stuff" and more about how the message is delivered. Do your employees know they make a positive difference? Do they understand how their job is connected to the bigger picture? It's that frequent, genuine "thank you" that moves the needle on employee engagement and satisfaction scores, and has a real impact on the bottom line.

We need more "employees of the moment" than "employees of the year." Take the time to pay attention, acknowledge, and appreciate what is right in your organization and the people responsible for making it that way. Now, more than ever, it may be the best business decision you ever make.


Theresa Chambers, Chief Motivation Officer at Recognition Works, changes the way organizations think about employee recognition. She can be reached at theresa@recognitionworks.net or 206.353.8267.