Staff Recognition: Rewarding Performance to Boost Morale - Essay Sample

Introduction

Staff recognition meets the employees' need for recognition and praise (Luthans, 2000). Employee recognition entails acknowledging the staff for exemplary performance to reinforce particular practices, behaviors, or activities that yield better performance (Saunderson, 2004). Employee recognition may take many forms, such as the award of bonuses, offering team awards, expressing gratitude to the employees, offering the employee time off, gift certificates, and non-cash awards (Luthans, 2000). Staff recognition is, thus, the formal or informal acknowledgment of an employee's effort that upholds the organization's business values and goals in a manner that exceeds reasonable expectations (Saunderson, 2004). Overall, recognition programs enable employers to offer recognition to staff, to define performance standards, and to establish evaluation criteria for employee behavior.

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Background

Other than good remuneration and benefits, employees want fair treatment so that as they make an impact on the organization, they feel valued and appreciated (Saunderson, 2004). To show recognition and appreciation to their employees, employers implement staff recognition programs to appreciate the employees for the achievements (Luthans, 2000). Typically, organizations use recognition programs to improve staff morale, to attract and retain talented employees, to enhance productivity, to boost competitiveness, to boost revenue and profitability, and to improve customer service (Saunderson, 2004). Other motives are the reduction of employee stress, to reduce absenteeism, and to reduce staff attrition (Luthans, 2000). As such, in an era when competition for talent is rife, the most popular organizations are those who value, validate, and recognize outstanding work.

Research shows that about 80% of organizations have implemented employee recognition programs (Luthans, 2000). Most programs recognize the length of employee service by offering salary increments, cash awards for exemplary achievement, or for consistent noteworthy performance for employees who have added quality through superior customer service. The idea is to appreciate and thank deserving employees frequently and to encourage them to maintain reliable performance (Saunderson, 2004). At present, staff recognition is focused on areas such as the ability to champion change, customer retention, talent acquisition, talent retention, innovation, and improvement of systems, market diversification, personal development, and the outstanding embodiment of the organization's values (Luthans, 2000).

Employers ought to put in place clear policies to govern the implementation of the recognition programs. These policies should govern the approval process, the eligibility requirements, specification of the awards to be provided, the frequency at which the awards will be presented, a definition of the performance goals and how they will be measured, and the threshold for the performance awards (Luthans, 2000). Also, the organization should communicate the criteria and desired outcomes to the employees, and also incorporate key motivation objectives in the performance reviews of managers and supervisors who are tasked with the responsibility of appraising staff in their respective departments.

Best Practices: The Rationale for State Recognition Programs

It is vitally important for State agencies to develop and implement staff recognition programs in order to recognize staff for their contribution and service and to enhance employee engagement (Saunderson, 2004). Employee engagement entails the individual's discretionary effort to do their job and their commitment to the agency and its goals (Luthans, 2000). Recognition is a critical leadership tool that communicates to employees about what is important for the organization in terms of behavior, values, and results (Saunderson, 2004). Thus, recognition can be used as a tool for managers to help their subordinates to understand their role in the organization and how their contribution feeds into the agency's business objectives.

First, the agency should carry out an audit to determine the weaknesses of its current recognition program to define its insufficiencies. The analysis will inform whether there is a need to create a new program, or it could be more viable to amend the existing program, especially if it is yielding positive results (Luthans, 2000). Also, there is the need to map how the recognition program is tying into the agency's strategic plan and vision so that there is clarity on what the agency expects of its employees (Saunderson, 2004). At this change, it is essential to accept recommendations from staff on possible changes that can be made to the existing program or input that could be useful in the design of the new program (Luthans, 2000). The key elements a good program would include timeliness, incorporation of different rewards such as monetary and non-monetary, provision for peer to peer recognition, offering reinforcement opportunities, and having a variety of awards that appeal to the employees so that they have choices (Saunderson, 2004).

Second, the recognition program should incorporate different awards. Similar incentives do not motivate employees; hence, employers should offer a variety of recognition opportunities to ensure that the varying needs of the employees are met (Luthans, 2000). As an example, while some employees might be motivated by money, others may be motivated by bonus incentives, while others may find time off to be more attractive. Owing to the differences in job types and levels, and work environments, it is important for an employer to offer a range of both noncash and cash incentives to make the recognition program relevant and meaningful (Saunderson, 2004).

Third, the recognition program should also be flexible to allow for future adjustments in case there is a change in circumstances that may warrant there to be new ways of recognizing employees (Saunderson, 2004). The criteria for success of a recognition program entails that it ought to be well-funded, it should be aligned with the objectives of the organization, it should be timely and should be suitable for the achievements of employees (Luthans, 2000). Also, the recognition process should be clear, straightforward, and evaluated regularly.

Fourth, the recognition program should be sufficiently funded. It is imperative that management commits resources during the budgeting process to ensure that the funds are appropriately distributed to the various departments (Luthans, 2000). Also, management must dedicate time to the program to ensure that the supervisors and employees have sufficient time to manage the program. An elaborate process enables the managers to see that there is a fair and equitable distribution of the resources required to fund the program.

Fifth, the recognition program should be aligned with the organization's values and goals, as well as the mission and vision. Employees must be able to make a connection between the management's promise and the actual rewards offered at work (Saunderson, 2004). Further, the recognition program should be timely and handled in an organized manner. This is so because the manner of program delivery can make it a success or a failure. For employee behavior to be reinforced, the award must be presented in a sincere manner so that the employee is motivated by the sincere act of appreciation (Luthans, 2000). In contrast, a significant gift that is delivered poorly can lead to undesired outcomes.

Sixth, the recognition program should be appropriate. It is vitally important that employees have an understanding of the program's rationale so that they have confidence that the awards are consistent with the achievements or their degree of effort that one needs to apply to earn the award. It is also likely that employees will be demotivated by a recognition program that trivializes their work and effort, through inconsequential incentives or lack of sincere appreciation (Harrison, 2013). Thus, the award scheme should be consistent with the employee's achievement and the value that the person attaches to the award (Saunderson, 2004). As an example, an employee who has successfully completed a one-year project, or one who has managed to onboard a new client should get an award that is commensurate with the achievement and not a similar award with an employee who has done his supervisor a favor.

Seventh, the recognition program must be objective and just, and the employee must see it to be so. Thus, all employees who qualify for an award should be recognized and appreciated without any form of discrimination (Luthans, 2000). Also, employers need to be cognizant that different recognition schemes work differently for various organizations. Overall, the recognition program should have a clear definition of objectives and criteria of the recognition program, should incorporate a multifaceted approach to the recognition, should give staff a platform to air their views and choices, should ensure a seamless implementation, and should continually measure the effectiveness of the recognition program(Saunderson, 2004).

Eighth, the recognition program must be forthright and straightforward. The reward process should be devoid of administrative bureaucracies, unwarranted management control, and financial complexities. Hence, the process must always be kept simple (Luthans, 2000). There should be continuous monitoring and for employers to appraise the adequacy, rationale, competitiveness, and appropriateness of the program (Saunderson, 2004). Further, it is important to appraise if the program objectives are being met, the appropriateness of the various levels of communication, if the program is meaningful and what should be done differently.

Ninth, there must be adequate training on the recognition program. Managers need to be trained on how to carry out employee recognition and to manage the award programs (Saunderson, 2004). It is imperative that managers gain the skills to enable them to recognize their subordinate's contributions and to offer effective feedback (Luthans, 2000). Managers and supervisors should be trained on the importance of the award program, how the award program impacts the organization's bottom line, ways of motivating staff, how to communicate expectations and goals with clarity, how to manage and reward performance at individual and team level, the core of the program and how employees can attain recognition, and how to offer timely and sincere appreciation to attain maximum results (Luthans, 2000). Managers should also be trained on best practices regarding employee recognition and how to present them to their subordinates. Management should be enlightened on the rationale for the recognition program and the process of implementation so that they can pass the same information to their subordinates.

Employee Recognition Constraints in State Agencies Vs Private Companies

First, in most cases, employee recognition is not tailored to suit different recipients. In most cases, managers tend to recognize their subordinates, in the manner in which they would like to be recognized. In a regular workplace, individuals have different preferences for how they would like to be recognized. While some employees prefer public recognition, others value hand-written notes, while others just need an affirmation that they are valued (Saunderson, 2004). Thus, it is important for a manager to understand how their employees would like to be personalized so that they can customize the award to suit each employee's preference. The personalization of awards makes employees feel valued.

Second, there is a lack of proper communication, whereby the recognition of one employee is not made known to other employees....