{"id":21340,"date":"2016-03-23T10:29:30","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T14:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/?p=21340"},"modified":"2016-10-20T13:22:13","modified_gmt":"2016-10-20T17:22:13","slug":"7-tips-for-effective-staff-member-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/hr\/2016\/03\/23\/7-tips-for-effective-staff-member-recognition\/","title":{"rendered":"7 tips for effective staff member recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cartoon

Cartoon audience, clapping.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0Employee recognition in the Christian charity context<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the New Testament, Paul encouraged the Colossians\u00a0by writing,\u00a0“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters<\/a>“. \u00a0Because ministry staff personnel\u00a0are focused on the eternal and know that their labours will be rewarded\u00a0in heaven, Christian charities may think of\u00a0staff member\u00a0recognition<\/strong>\u00a0as being more of a corporate initiative\u00a0or tend to\u00a0equate it with\u00a0recognizing retirements and milestone anniversaries. \u00a0But employee recognition, when done well, can be so much more than this, and can be a real blessing to others in the workplace.<\/p>\n

Employee recognition has the potential to\u00a0positively influence workplace\u00a0culture<\/strong>\u00a0by calling attention to\u00a0behaviours<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0outcomes<\/strong>\u00a0that are aligned with the charity’s\u00a0mission\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0values<\/strong>. In their book Mission Drift, authors Peter Greer and Chris Horst talk about the importance of a mission true culture, which includes what they call the celebrating of exemplars<\/strong>. \u00a0“When staff members exhibit organizational values, be sure to call it out. \u00a0The surest way to have others embrace your full mission is through positive reinforcement. \u00a0At each of our staff meetings, staff members nominate their colleagues when they see them living out organizational culture.” (Greer and Horst, in\u00a0Mission Drift<\/a>\"\".)<\/em><\/p>\n

Closely linked to its impact on workplace culture and engagement<\/strong> is how employee recognition can help staff members to feel\u00a0valued<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0appreciated<\/strong>\u00a0in their work. \u00a0And while we can often derive a certain intrinsic satisfaction from knowing that a job has been well done,\u00a0positive feedback and recognition has long been recognized as an important component in helping\u00a0to build strong teams. \u00a0In\u00a0First\u00a0Thessalonians believers are told\u00a0to\u00a0encourage<\/strong> one another\u00a0and build one another up, and in the workplace this helps\u00a0to strengthen\u00a0team<\/strong>\u00a0bonds and reinforce the desired workplace culture.<\/p>\n

Tip #1 how<\/em> we recognize others\u00a0is important<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Of course individuals can vary greatly in how<\/strong> they like to\u00a0receive feedback\u00a0and we\u00a0should all\u00a0be\u00a0intentional<\/strong>\u00a0about recognizing others in a way that is meaningful<\/strong> and honouring<\/strong> to them. How we recognize others is equally\u00a0as important as what is being recognized. \u00a0Asking how others prefer to receive feedback\u00a0can be\u00a0a great question for leaders to build into one to one conversations with their staff members, and while this would ideally take place when new employees are being oriented to the charity, it’s never too late to ask longer serving team members as well.<\/p>\n

For some employees, being recognized in front of a larger group setting may be\u00a0a real thrill\u00a0whereas others may prefer a smaller group setting or even receiving this kind of feedback and acknowledgement on more of a one to one basis. \u00a0Some of the most memorable feedback that I have received was simply a handwritten<\/strong> card from my\u00a0manager.\u00a0 I have even had some colleagues tell me they like to refer back to those cards and notes when they are feeling discouraged or having a particularly challenging day.<\/p>\n

Tip #2 effective recognition is\u00a0specific<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I have always been\u00a0fascinated by my Grandparent’s stories of what life was like when they were young,\u00a0and\u00a0a few years ago I decided to begin working on my\u00a0family tree. \u00a0Like most families it turns out there are more than\u00a0a few nuts in ours!<\/p>\n

After having worked on this project\u00a0for a couple\u00a0of years I finally felt ready\u00a0to share it\u00a0with my parents and siblings. \u00a0They told me\u00a0I had done a great job. Really great, in fact. I couldn’t believe it! I wanted to know if there were specific<\/strong> stories they felt drawn to, or if they had questions or even disagreed with some of my findings.\u00a0 Lucky for them I am already working on a second version complete with discussion questions!<\/p>\n

In order to make meaningful connections between the behaviour that is being recognized and the values of the charity, feedback needs to be specific.\u00a0 Being intentional about providing specific feedback doesn’t need to be difficult, and\u00a0can quickly become\u00a0second nature. \u00a0It carries with it a level of authenticity<\/strong> that praising someone in more general terms is not able to\u00a0convey. \u00a0An example of this could be sharing with\u00a0a colleague that their approach to a delicate donor relations matter was appreciated, and that they really exemplified<\/strong> the charity’s values of ‘desire to serve’ and ‘respect’ in that particular interaction.<\/p>\n

Tip #3 effective recognition is timely<\/h2>\n

For recognition to really\u00a0be effective it needs to be\u00a0provided soon after\u00a0the staff member demonstrated the behaviour that is being recognized. \u00a0This is actually true no matter what kind of feedback is being given. \u00a0I can remember working at a call centre to make extra money during college. The supervisors would play back calls that were up to three months old and use them as learning opportunities. \u00a0Needless to say this was not an effective means of coaching given the high volume of calls that customer service associates answered each day. \u00a0The ideal\u00a0time to provide positive feedback and recognition is in that\u00a0moment<\/strong>\u00a0or soon after\u00a0the event.<\/p>\n

Tip #4 leading the way<\/h2>\n

Charity leaders have the\u00a0opportunity\u00a0to really role model<\/strong> and set the tone<\/strong> for\u00a0the desired culture in their workplaces. \u00a0This includes how individuals and teams\u00a0are recognized and rewarded for their work. \u00a0Leaders will ultimately decide how formal<\/strong> or informal<\/strong> of an approach the charity will take to staff member recognition and what works best in the context of their workplace. They are also in a position to help their team members understand the broader implications of their efforts. \u00a0For example, a staff member whose role is primarily\u00a0internally facing may\u00a0find it very meaningful to hear a personal story of how their work has positively impacted\u00a0the life of someone who makes use of the charity’s products or services.<\/p>\n

Invariably the topic of employee recognition always leads to interesting discussion around leadership tables. Some leaders take the position that they are hard markers, or that folks shouldn’t be\u00a0recognized for simply performing the role that they were hired to do. \u00a0And while I’m not advocating for recognizing the trivial, leaders that don’t include employee recognition in their management tool-kits may be missing out on a great opportunity to build the kind of team that everyone wants to be a part of.<\/p>\n

Tip #5 peer to peer recognition\u00a0can be highly impactful<\/h2>\n

When managers and supervisors are seen providing authentic positive feedback in a way that is specific and timely, it makes it easier for others in the organization to follow suit. \u00a0Some of the most effective forms of staff member recognition\u00a0are grass roots<\/strong> initiatives where colleagues provide their peers with informal, positive feedback. \u00a0This has the potential to be particularly impactful as colleagues are often the closest to the work that is being done and tend to have greater visibility into what made that assignment or project so challenging in the first place. \u00a0Charities wishing to encourage this type of peer to peer recognition could provide their employees with note cards for that express purpose, however post it notes can work equally as well.<\/p>\n

Tip #6\u00a0low cost high impact employee recognition suggestions<\/h2>\n

Here are some of my suggestions for low cost, high impact employee recognition. \u00a0There is lots of room for creativity here, so this list is by no means meant to be exhaustive:<\/p>\n