Do You Let Your Employees Know...
...That You Notice and Appreciate When They Do a Great Job?
You might think you do, but do they think you do?
Research by Gallup, Towers Perrin, and the American Management Association all show that less than 1/3 of employees report frequently receiving praise and recognition for their work. As Marcus Buckingham, author of "The One Thing You Need to Know", notes, either that means they have done things with excellence and it has been ignored or they haven't performed in an excellent way -- neither being a good thing.
Recognizing great work and showing appreciation are no small matter. Gallup's landmark research revealed that receiving recogntion for doing good work is one of the 12 strongest predictors of employee productivity and customer loyalty (i.e. employees provide loyalty-generating service). Furthermore...
many studies have shown that appreciation is either the #1 motivator or one of the top motivators for employees.
Thus, if employees feel taken for granted, if they feel going the extra mile is not appreciated, they will be less motivated. Also, if they feel taken for granted, they will be far more likely to take your customers for granted.
Now, since you're probably incredibly busy and likely preoccupied with all you have to do, it's very possible that you might not be showing the appreciation and recognition you need to.
Think this might be the case?
Find out. Ask your employees. Also, since everyone is different, find out what kind of apprecitiation and recognition works.
Also, if you've had moments of truth where a boss did a great job recognizig and appreciating your going the extra mile or doing a great job... or didn't bother... let us know.
If you give an example of a boss missing the opportunity, please also include how it affected you and what you would have liked him or her to have done differently. The goal is for all examples to be instructive. Thanks.
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