Get Creative & Smart with Awards

Inc.com recently posted an awesome article about ” Rethinking Employee Awards”. Here are a few highlights from the article:

• SurePayRoll recently honored the year’s ”Best New Mistake”. Make note that it had to be a new mistake, not the same  mistake  made  twice.  This was to remind staff that failure is an option, to promote innovation and that mistakes are a part of success.
• Another company awarded the “Disruption Award” to an employee  who’s life was severely disrupted by work throughout the year. Someone who stepped up to the plate, took on rigorous projects and pulled late hours at the office. Again, another funny category but one that employees would truly appreciate being awarded for.
  • The editor also offered tips on employee rewards such as:
    • Customize prizes by finding out what employees prefer such as time off, a trip, money, or something else.
    • Recognize multiple performers; you don’t have to always pick just one per category.
    • Limit the kinds of awards. When you have too many, they become meaningless.

Click to see full article  http://www.inc.com/magazine/201107/rethinking-employee-awards.html

Written by Lauren M.

Utilizing Recognition Instead of Micromanagement

Article by: H. Monroe IV

According to Harry Chambers (Author of My Way or the Highway: The Micromanagement survival guide) “eight out of ten of us is, or have been a victims of a micromanaging boss”.

Micromanaging affects productivity negatively whether it is done intentionally or not. In research conducted by Chambers, it was found that 71 percent of surveyed employees claimed that micromanagement interfered with job performance, with 85 percent saying morale suffered as a result.

Regularly recognizing your team for their contributions is one way for a manager (or leader) to stop feeling the urge to micro manage. Recognizing a novel idea or well done job builds confidence and encourages employees to take the initiative, resulting in the employee’s sense of control and empowerment.

Thomas Ng (School of Business and Economics at the University of Hong Kong) has research that shows: an employee’s sense of control over their work is imperative for motivation.

It is not often that employees are not up to a task or lack initiative. The fact of the matter is that employees are afraid of making a mistake, because they are constantly under a microscope.

Managers can identify an employee’s strengths and find ways to push their performance and development by recognizing instead of scrutinizing their employee’s work.