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1. FEATURE STORY:
WHAT YOU DO MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Written by Kimberly Thelen and Kenneth Thelen, Founders of R Success, LLC

"When dealing with people, let us remember that we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion...." — Dale Carnegie

In a competitive world, we work diligently to bring on the right people, for the right role in our business. We entrust to them the responsibilities that go along with that role. We invest our time and money into each person, to ensure that they have every opportunity to do the job well, as our livelihood and the future of our business depend upon it. Now we must help them utilize their natural talents so that they flourish and excel and our investment is returned in loyalty and productivity.

At the same time, customers today have more choices than ever. Due to technological advances and the steady evaporation of cultural and international boundaries, we must now compete for the same customers with countries from all over the world. When price is no longer the issue, we must focus on developing relationships with our customers. We must learn to communicate to them that we do care about them and appreciate their business. Customers who have a positive emotional experience with a business and the people who represent it keep coming back again and again.

Think about it. How many times have you decided to discontinue your patronage of a business because an employee dropped the ball or inadvertently insulted you with his/her bad attitude? Just as importantly, how many times have you come back to a business because an employee went the extra mile, beat the deadline, or made you smile when you were having a bad day? The bottom line is that when employees are fully engaged and happy with their work, customers feel confident that they are receiving the best service available and that their business is important to you. Businesses that employ relationship-driven strategies with their staff and customers are more and more becoming the big winners in today's market.

So the real questions are these. How do we help our employees become more engaged? What can we do to improve the atmosphere of our workplace? How do we compete with bigger businesses that offer more money, more perks, or more opportunities for promotion?

There's a new and innovative tool being adopted among all of the large employers, and yet, it is a tool that has literally been around for ages and is available to businesses of every size — recognition. An untapped, cost effective, compelling resource lies right within our own grasp every day in the simple gesture of appreciation. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Taking the time to notice and communicate to an employee the good work he has done and the impact of his contribution is the most powerful way to say, "What you do makes a difference." Remember when your team won the championship and everyone on the team was given a trophy? Perhaps at some time in your career you received a thank you letter from your manager for a job well done. Maybe a business associate sent a card expressing her heartfelt appreciation for your help with an important project. My guess is that when you look at that old trophy, or rediscover old thank you letters in a forgotten file, a smile comes to your face and you feel good all over again. That's the power of recognition.

A properly designed recognition and rewards program that is thoughtfully implemented in the workplace can significantly impact the bottom line with improved results and greater employee loyalty. History shows that when a desired behavior is rewarded, it is repeated and duplicated by others. Author Tom Rath in How Full Is Your Bucket? cites a survey by the Gallup Organization, which includes more than 10,000 business units from more than 30 different industries. The survey reveals that individuals who receive regular recognition and praise:

• increase their individual productivity,
• increase engagement among their colleagues,
• are more likely to stay with their organization,
• receive higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers,
• have better safety records and fewer accidents on the job.

Opportunities to implement recognition and rewards programs are available now more than ever. This trend is growing in businesses of all sizes because managing members, partners, and owners are becoming aware of the need to offer more to their staff members than a paycheck and the traditional benefits. Holding on to your talent in today's fragile marketplace requires making a different kind of investment: one that addresses emotional needs in addition to finances. We are all aware that replacing a talented employee is costly in terms of disruption to customer service, production, and direct HR costs. In fact, not recognizing your employees has been found to be far more expensive than implementing a recognition and rewards program. The key to the success of these kinds of programs is finding one that meets the needs and goals of your employees and your business. Can you afford not to investigate what's available?

"We nourish the bodies of our children and friends and employees, but how seldom do we nourish their self-esteem?...Give honest and sincere appreciation...and people will cherish your words and treasure them and repeat them...years after you have forgotten them." — Dale Carnegie

Reprinted with permission from R Success, LLC. Copyright 2006 R Success, LLC.  AHI has partnered with Mr. Thelen to present "Employee Recognition: What's Working & What's Not" on September 12, 2006. For more information, please visit our website.

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FREE REPORT OF THE MONTH:

Check out the Free Report, "Diversity Initiatives: Deciding Whether They Fit Your Workplace," which provides you with both the pros and cons of diversity programs so you can make an informed decision regarding whether or not a diversity program is right for your organization.  You also get five steps to take to establish an effective program and a diversity form for evaluating the success of your company's diversity efforts.

Kick back, relax, and take a few minutes to check out the new HR Soapbox, "The Workplace Devil Wears...," in which an editor provides advice to those employees whose bosses are anything but pleasant to work with.