Employee Recognition on a Budget

         I’m sure we can all agree that now is not the time to ask senior management for more money for lavish employee recognition programs.  Although we may be able to present a compelling argument for the additional money, most senior managers are in a cost-saving mindset given the current state of the economy. 

        Well, there are ways to reward employees without breaking the bank or the budget.

 In his book, 1001 Ways To Reward Employees, author Bob Nelson provides the HR professional with a myriad of low-cost incentives to reward and recognize employees for a job well done. If I were to list all these incentives in this post, it would end up being a very-long post. Thus, I’m going to discuss the one I liked the most.

 

Bravo Cards 

     Janis Allen, a performance management consultant, tells the story of a group of officers she was training in the Department of the Army. One person in particular, a colonel, showed great resistance to the use of any reinforcers. A week or so after the seminar, the colonel’s manager—a general–wanted to praise him for his handling of an important presentation. The general found a piece of yellow construction paper, folded it in half and wrote “Bravo” on the front. Then he wrote his reinforcing remarks inside.

     The colonel was called in, praised and handed the card. “He took it and read it.” Allen says. “He didn’t even look up when he finished. He just stood up abruptly without even making eye contact, turned and walked out of the office.” The general thought,  “Wow, I’ve done something wrong now.” He thought maybe he had offended the colonel.

     When the general went to check on the colonel, he found that he had stopped at every office on the way out and was showing off the “Bravo” card. He was smiling and everybody was congratulating him.

      The colonel subsequently printed his own recognition cards with “Wonderful” on the front. They became his signature reinforcers.

      I like the “Bravo” idea, because it only requires a sheet of paper—a very inexpensive way to recognize an employee. 

Pie-A-Manager 

      Here’s an idea from my own playbook. It’s called: Pie-A-Manager. This is how it works:

      Tickets are sold to the employees for the opportunity to throw a pie at their favorite manager. Once the employee purchases a ticket, they write their names on the back and placed it in a jar. The tickets are sold for an entire month. At the end of the month, several tickets are drawn and those employees who purchased the selected tickets are given the opportunity to throw a pie at the manager of their choice.

       It’s a lot of fun for the employees and provides an inexpensive fund for employee cookouts and other employee recognition programs. Of course, it doesn’t cost the company a dime and that’s what makes it such a great way for rewarding employees.  

Recognition Saves Organizations Money 

      During her 2008 SHRM conference session, Mindy Chapman, the president of Chicago–based Mindy Chapman & Associates cited a study in the Harvard Business Review. The study found that  “presenteeism” or just showing up at work and doing the minimum, “is responsible for $150 billion in direct and indirect cost to American businesses [annually}.” 

      We, as HR professionals, have to continually prove that we do add value and save the company money. Implementing a few of Bob’s low-cost recognition programs can help us prove our worth. A $150 billion is a lot of money.  Thus, I invite all of you to purchase 1001 Way to Reward Employees and show your organization that HR is more than the people department. It also generates revenue and saves the company money. 

About the Author 

      Bob Nelson is the founder of Nelson Motivation, Inc., and a vice president of Blanchard Training and Development, Inc. He has authored several books on management and best business practices.

In addition, he writes a monthly column, Rewarding Employees. He can be contacted through his website: www.nelson-motivation .com