There are many reasons why people work and they are as individual as the person. Some people work for pleasure or personal fulfillment ; others for the money. Whatever the reason might be, there is one thing that everyone will almost always appreciate, and that is recognition. Employee recognition is a factor in motivation and retention. Which employee wouldn’t like to be honored for his continuous service in a company? Honoring those who have reached employment milestones is recognizing their ongoing dedication and commitment. The question is how are employees being awarded?
A Hewlett Packard engineer burst into his manager's office to announce he'd just found the solution to a problem the group had been struggling with for many weeks. His manager quickly looked around his desk for some item to acknowledge the accomplishment of the worker and ended up handing the employee a banana from his lunch with the words, "Well done. Congratulations!" The employee was puzzled, but over time the Golden Banana Award became one of the most prestigious honors bestowed on an inventive employee in the company. You might laugh at the story and think how can a banana be a motivational factor, however if given the right context, it becomes a symbolic award. Not all companies might be so original as HP, nevertheless employees, if eligible for recognition, can choose from an array of awards such as: a gold lapel pin, a silver watch, a crystal vase, a leather briefcase or a mahogany jewelry box. These are just some of the items I found, while searching for awards. However, it’s not the award that matters the most. A teller at a local bank came into work proudly modeling her nylon and cotton 100 Club jacket for bank customers and employees. She said my employer gave me this for doing a good job. It’s the first time in the 18 years I’ve been there they’ve recognized the things I do every day. During those years the bank teller earned enough money to pay for her car, mortgage, vacations and college education. The money wasn’t appreciated as recognition for her work, but the nylon and cotton100 Club jacket was.
Word-of-the-week
milestones – important events in the development or history of something or in someone's life
