Page 14 - MetalForming July 2015

Human Capital
By Debbie McGrath
Add Power to Employee Recognition to Guarantee a Repeat Performance
Posted to HR.com by Eric Chester, author and speaker on workplace cul- ture and employee engagement Every manager has been told that
it’s important to acknowledge,
recognize and reward top-per- forming employees.
Unfortunately, most haven’t been coached on how to do this effectively. And if one of the goals is to get the per- former to continue performing at a high level, the why has to be linked to the what.
“You’ve done a good job around here, Jevon. Congratulations on being our Employee of the Month.”
While Jevon may be happy that he’s being recognized, he (and his cowork- ers) probably don’t understand why. As a result, Jevon (and his coworkers) may not know what specific things he is doing well and what kind of per- formance it takes to continue to receive these ‘Attaboys.’
Rather than offering vague and neb- ulous employee recognition, it’s expo- nentially more powerful when a man- ager clearly spells out the specific attitudes, actions and behaviors behind the performance that have led to this acknowledgement. For example:
“Because you’ve made three addi- tional presentations each day that
Content for Human Capi- tal comes courtesy of Debbie McGrath, founder and chief instigator of HR.com, Aurora, Ontario, Canada. McGrath has a degree in computer sci- ence and business administration from the University of Guelph. Founded in August 1999,
HR.com aims to help build great companies by connecting them with the knowledge and resources they need to effectively manage the people side of business.
www.HR.com
tel: 877/472-6648
enabled you to double your sales vol- ume this month, Ashley, we’re going to send you and your husband out to your favorite restaurant and a night on the town!”
“You continually arrive here 15 min- utes before your shift begins, Hector. That kind of reliability does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Therefore, you have the first choice of vacation days you’d like to take off this summer.”
“Leah, when it comes to greeting our guests as they walk in, you are the bomb! Your smile is infectious and no matter what is going on in your per- sonal life, you are always so warm and friendly, and you go out of your way to make our customers feel that they are special. That’s just as important to the success of our restaurant as the food we serve. I’d like for you to begin working with our other hosts to show them how to make our guests feel so welcome, and I’ll be giving you an additional $0.50 per hour for taking on this responsibility.”
I remember when my 7th grade art teacher sent me home with a Most Out-
standing Art Student certificate. But when my dad asked me what I did in the class that stood out from the others, I couldn’t think of anything.
Yesterday, my seven-year-old grand- daughter, Brooklyn, was recognized as her elementary school’s Student of the Month. Family members were invited to the school cafeteria before class to observe the short ceremony. Before handing her a certificate for this honor, her second-grade teacher explained to the crowd why she had been selected. In so doing, Brooky is now aware of the specific attitudes and behaviors that lead to this kind of acknowledge- ment, and so are her classmates.
Most managers have heard the cliché, “That which gets recognized gets repeated.” The key word in this edict is “That.” Recipients must clear- ly understand the “that” that is being recognized, or they won’t know what to repeat.
By the way, Brooky has her sights on winning the award again next month. And now she knows how to achieve that goal.
Keep Track of Organizational Goals with Performance Management
Posted to HR.com by Chris Arring- dale, co-founder and president of Reviewsnap, an online performance- management system.
Some people make lists, others put sticky notes on their computer screen, and many simply fly by the seat of their pants. It’s not easy to keep track of work resolutions, especially when they are long-term, as resolutions tend to be. At work when deadlines begin to pile up and projects are coming out of your ears, finding time to work toward keep- ing your goals on track is near impos- sible. But don’t worry, your team does-
n’t have to do it entirely alone. Employees must understand their work capacity. The biggest issue with these newfound hopes of a brighter and more productive year is that all too often the goals are lofty. Take a look
at the average workday breakdown:
• 44.5 percent of the day spent on
primary job duties;
• 13.8 percent spent on reading and
responding to e-mails;
• 12 percent spent on administrative
tasks;
• 9.3 percent spent in useful meet-
ings;
12 MetalForming/July 2015
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