Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
Making Employee Recognition Worthwhile and Meaningful
November/December 2007
Debby Cannon, Ph.D., CHE
Director
School of Hospitality
Robinson College of Business
Georgia State University
Everyone likes to be recognized. When evaluating how to recognize your employees, always consider what the employees will find meaningful and worthwhile rewards. The classic “Employee of the Month” dedicated parking space for workers who mainly use public transportation is an example of a business where managers are clearly out of touch with their employees. Determining the structure and process of handling employee recognition is not an easy task and is increasingly challenging with a diverse workforce that spans several generations and numerous cultural and ethnic backgrounds. As restaurant owners and managers, we do want to reward employees who have met and exceeded established goals and expectations. Not only is it a perk to the recipients, but other employees will be motivated to heighten their contributions to the business in the near future as well.
The following suggestions are offered, not as an exclusive list, but as a guide to stimulate ideas on making the most of your reward and recognition processes.
- Recognition does not have to be money or a material reward. The positive impact of a sincere and personalized “thank you” can be extremely meaningful – particularly when the appreciation comes from not only the direct supervisor but the restaurant’s general manager, or as appropriate, someone higher in the organization.
I recall a story about a hotel general manager who would religiously take every Friday afternoon to write a short, personalized thank you note to those employees who had made the previous week particularly successful – whether it was wowing a guest or coming to the assistance of a co-worker. Each note thanked the employee and also complimented the individual on the specific accomplishment performed. The notes were mailed to each employee’s home address. Not only did the employee get the thrill of receiving the note, he/she would typically have friends or significant others around to share in the excitement. This general manager was legendary throughout his company – for exceeding all of the metrics – average daily rate, occupancy, customer satisfaction scores and employee satisfaction scores. He truly enjoyed writing the notes which were a sincere reflection of his appreciation – not a motive to “drive” the numbers.
- Recognition should be frequent and not saved for monthly or quarterly events. Hopefully, finding employees “doing the right things” is a daily occurrence. If you are the head of an organization, ask your managers or supervisors; when was the last time you thanked an employee, applauded accomplishments in a pre-shift meeting or departmental meeting or posted a guest’s flattering letter? Recognition starts at the top. Typically if this behavior is modeled by owners and top management, it will occur throughout the organization.
- Recognition should be tied directly to the company’s mission, standards and goals. Every owner/manager should regularly complete this statement: “Employees in my company are rewarded for ….. “
The company goals and standards are the roadmap to the success of the business. Not only should recognized behaviors be tied to the mission, standards and goals, the connection should be clearly explained in the acknowledgement process.
- Recognition is individualized. Understand your employees to make the most of recognition opportunities. You can purchase books or utilize the internet to list a thousand ways to reward employees. These sources are only useful in expanding general ideas of how to recognize employees. The most powerful resource will be your knowledge, as a manager, of the employees who report to you. What are their hobbies? What are they passionate about? What else is going on in their lives that would be important to consider in the recognition?
A trip to the zoo for an employee and his/her family; tickets to a local sporting event, play or concert; a paid day off during a working student’s final exams or $100 to go toward books for the semester- all of these could be memorable if the employees’ interests and preferences are targeted. The opportunity to attend educational and professional development programs is a perk that is appreciated by many employees who are trying to build their knowledge and skill competencies.
Sometimes the above activities are also more realistic for the working parent or student who cannot leave for the exotic trip to another city. Fortunately, most businesses that do offer the exciting “dream trip” as a major reward for contests such as “Employee of the Year” also provide the option of a cash prize. The trip for two to Hawaii sounds fantastic until the single working parent is faced with the daunting decision of which of the four children is selected to go and who stays home with the other three.
Be aware of personal and cultural differences that can make employees uncomfortable in receiving “public” praise. A quieter approach may be greatly appreciated while still having a positive impact on individuals. Keep prizes and recognition perks fresh and exciting. Also consider partnering with other restaurants to exchange dinners for employee recognition. Sometimes employees would rather dine at a new and different restaurant as a reward than the standard place where they work. Getting an employee’s perspective of another restaurant can be a learning experience for both employee and manager.
- Don’t limit recognition to only length of service.
Acknowledging years of service is positive but don’t limit your recognition program solely to length of service awards. At a time when employee retention is a top concern among restaurant and foodservice operators, don’t ignore anniversary milestones. This is not the same, however, as performance recognition. Unfortunately, almost every business has the employee who quit years ago but remains on your payroll.
- Avoid the traps of entitlement. By now, someone reading this article has remarked silently or out loud: “Recognition? Rewards? The employee gets a paycheck! That’s the reward.” Recognition is important in enhancing the positive nature of the working environment and helping in retaining excellent employees. Yet, I warn against falling into the entitlement trap. The entitlement trap can sabotage your entire recognition process because employees who are only existing and not performing end up being recognized. How does that happen? An emphasis on effort and not results is one way. Another reason is an inappropriate emphasis on precedent that is not reflective of performance. “But we’ve always had a representative from this department on the star employee team” … so an employee is selected who is not really deserving of the honor. Entitlement traps destroy the whole meaning of performance-based recognition. These traps can be avoided by properly planning and administering a positive, results-oriented reward system.
