Confusing the “Cost” with the “Investment” of Recognizing and Rewarding Team Members
For several years I had the honor of attending the Length of Service Recognition Dinner for a non-profit that, for a whole host of reasons, I think sets the Gold Standard for Organizational Excellence.
Their general guideline was to spend $100/year of service for gifts for the employees who were being recognized: 1 year = $100, 5 years = $500, 10 years = $1000, etc.
Whenever I would tell that story, especially when working with other non-profit organizations on identifying ways to reward and recognize their employees, the response was almost always the same; “It must be nice to have that kind of money to throw around. We could never afford to do that.”
Then I would break down the numbers…
$100/ year = $2 / week = 40 cents / day = 5 cents / hour!
Five cents per hour to say “thank you” to your most dedicated team members and recognize them for their commitment.
But more important than the cost of the gifts was how they were selected. The CEO would personally select, and in many cases shop for, the gifts based upon what she knew about the individual. The Elvis fan got a weekend trip to Memphis. The fishing fanatic was given a chartered fishing trip that included his family. The doll collector received a custom ordered, one-of-a-kind, hand made doll. The gifts weren’t special because of the cost; the gifts were special because they reflected how much the CEO knew and cared about her team members. (Compare that to my wife’s former employer who for her 15th anniversary sent her a catalogue with instructions to pick anything from pages 32 to 37. The globe she decided on is beautiful, but there isn’t anything “personal” or, for the most part, “meaningful” about it.)
So, forgetting about the “cost” (at least for the moment) what can you do to show your team members how much you “value” them? More flexibility in scheduling? Surprising them with lunch? Replacing the generic Big Box Store gift card with one to their favorite restaurant? Or, as crazy as it sounds, budgeting the extra 5 cents per hour and taking the time to get them something that shows you know them and value their contributions?
Marco's Leadership Institute 