Debbie McGrath Debbie McGrath
CEO

Using Social Recognition Through Technology as Part of Your Talent-Management Strategy

May 1, 2015
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Posted to HR.com by Michelle Hughes, Applause IT Recruitment

Social employee recognition (SER) has become a critical component of a talent-management strategy; it can impact every employee every day, and play a key role in your talent-management initiatives. Despite many businesses thinking it’s something relatively new, the strategy can be traced back to the Ford Motor Company in the early 1900s, when Henry Ford rewarded his employees with gifts in order to retain their services and meet his production quotas.

The world is somewhat different now and today’s employees aren’t rewarded with gifts to retain their services or to ensure that they carry out the duties they are paid to perform. It always will be a challenge for companies to engage with and retain employees.

Social recognition ticks the ‘individual’ box and looks at one of the most important aspects of human recognition—acknowledgement with peers. Call it a buzzword if you will, but social recognition is a very powerful tool. It’s real, it’s impactful and it’s set to hit the mainstream as more and more realize how effective it can be for employee retention. And, it’s also enjoyable and cost effective.

What is Social Recognition?

In short, social recognition is an employee being recognized by his peers via technology, including mobile and social-media channels. This practice enables employers to give an employee instant appreciation of company values and behaviors and accolades for producing the kind of results the company desires. SER uses the latest platforms to recognize employees, rather than the old “call them into the office and give them a pat on the back” scenario.

SER not only lets employees see that you have recognized their performance, but all the other team members and employees also can see it—a modern mutual-appreciation society, if you will.

Nobody at any level wants to feel as if their efforts are going unrecognized. The majority of employees merely look to feel valued and recognized for their hard work. They simply want to know that their employers take notice of the extra effort they put forth for the good of the company. Ultimately they want their loyalty to be rewarded, but not necessarily in monetary terms. Sometimes a ‘thanks’ is all it takes.

The key to successful SER is to implement it companywide. Different programs for different departments lead to confusion and frustration. Only by developing a blanket system across the entire company can everyone know they are singing from the same song sheet. Consistency equals harmony in the workplace and without this, in today’s cut-throat world, you are asking for trouble.

What You Can Do To Make Business Meetings More Meaningful and Productive

Posted to HR.com by freelance writer Anita Ginsburg

For business people who attend multiple meetings each day, week or month, these sessions can start to feel the same and blend together. You may not feel engaged with the topic if it doesn’t pertain directly to you or isn’t presented in an interesting way. To make meetings more productive and meaningful for employees, leaders can follow the following suggestions.

Use visual aids—videos, slideshows, diagrams, whiteboards and handouts. These allow meeting planners to better explain certain topics in a way in which participants will better respond. Visual aids, especially interactive computer ones that allow attendees to follow along, add another element to the discussion, making it more likely that individuals will take an interest in the topic and add to the conversation.

Provide food—It’s a simple idea, but having food at meetings often leads to greater productivity, especially in the morning or near lunch time. Many employees don’t have time to eat well-balanced meals in the mornings because they are in a hurry to get out the door. For meetings, planners should try to order a wide variety of options, or ask participants for their preferences.

Pay attention to the meeting venue—For training meetings, moving to offsite locations help to accommodate larger groups and keep the focus on the topic at hand. Moving outside of the regular workplace can make meetings more memorable for employees, so they are more likely to remember the topics discussed and apply them in the workplace.

Present relatable topics—Meeting participants may feel more invested in a topic, especially during training, if it is compared or related to something in which they are interested. For example, by comparing or contrasting a topic to a popular TV show, movie or pop-culture topic, even for only a few minutes, a meeting planner can capture the attention of the people in the room. They may be more apt to remember, think critically about and find ways to apply the lesson if they feel invested in the topic to which it is related.

Plan group activities—Not all meetings can accommodate group activities, but icebreakers, introductions, trivia, games, team-building exercises, panel discussions, skits, small group discussions or challenges can make participants feel more involved with the topics being discussed. Starting off meetings with these types of activities grabs attendees’ attention from the start and gets them thinking about challenging topics. Group activities also can build camaraderie and teamwork.

Respect time limits—Often, long meetings can leave too much time for drifting off-topic and cause attendees to lose focus. Meetings of an hour or less, with time to get up and stretch, often prove more productive than longer meetings. Supervisors can meet with employees later to discuss topics that are pertinent to their jobs, instead of conducting a drawn-out discussion in a group setting. MF

Technologies: Management

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