Rewards and Recognition and Feedback – Unit 10

UNIT 10

Objectives

When you complete this unit, you will;

§ Understand the concept of Social Need

§ Know the basic reasons of creating positive and reinforcing

workplaces

§ Understand the idea of rewards and the different forms of reward in

the workplace

§ Be aware of the basic structure of a reward and recognition system

§ Understand the difference between negative and positive feedback

§ Know what feedback provides and what makes it effective

§ Know the basic goals of positive feedback or reinforcement

§ Know the 4 types of positive reinforcement

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Appreciation is a Social Need

Everyone wants to be appreciated. That goes for managers as well as employees, parents as
well as children: it is a social need. It reinforces Purpose. Managing today’s workforce is
complicated. Managers don’t have as many ways to influence employees as they did many
years ago, and most managers have learnt that fear and intimidation are not motivational
strategies.

Creating Workplaces that are Positive and Reinforcing

Coaching employees to repeat good workplace behaviours is the way to go. Most
organisations are operating with fewer employees being asked to do more, so it is more
important than ever to create workplaces that are positive and reinforcing. Most managers
find it difficult to think about rewards and recognition because they are facing more
pressure to achieve challenging financial targets.

Two Important Messages

No matter what’s happening in the world of work, it’s important to reward employees for
good performance. Leading companies have maintained their recognition programmes,
even during economic downturns. This sends two important messages:
§ You’re letting employees know that their hard work is appreciated;
§ You’re letting them know the company is stable and focussed on reaching its goals.

Reward Employees
Rewarding employees is a good way to boost morale and motivate employees. Before you
create a detailed rewards and recognition programme, you should find out what will work
for the employees. Managers think they know exactly what people want when it comes to
rewards and recognition, but unless you ask people, you won’t really know.

A Simple “Thank You”!

Research has shown that the most cost-effective reward and the most valued for nearly
everyone is a simple “thank you” for a specific job or for completing a project or for going
above and beyond. It sounds so easy, but it is surprising how very few managers effectively
use those two simple but powerful words.

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Personal Types of Rewards are Needed

Many organisations will reward employees for length of service, and this can be a very
effective way to acknowledge the contribution an individual makes. Although these awards
are great, more personal types of rewards and recognition programmes should be
encouraged—ones that have significant impact on the employee and on the organisation.

Recognition as a Retention Tool

For some organisations, employee recognition can make all the difference in retaining staff.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company uses a system that recognises and rewards. The company
has demonstrated that employee recognition really does make a difference in retention.
It has the lowest employee turnover rate of any hotel chain and feels that recognising its
employees is a major driver for its high retention rates.

Recognition at the Ritz-Carlton

Giving employees the tools needed to do their jobs, recognising a job well done, stating
clear expectations, and showing interest and concern in them as individuals are all
employee drivers. Recognition includes small, on-the-spot monetary awards given by
supervisors when they see an employee delivering extraordinary service or a handwritten
postcard given to staff at any level when they see or receive first-class service.

Give Employees a Choice of Rewards

If you are creating a programme where prizes are given, remember that people want choice,
and they want items they can use in their personal life. Also, having a strong rewards and
recognition programme won’t matter if you don’t have good management and leadership as
well as a positive work environment.

Designing an Effective Rewards/Recognition Programme

§ Carefully think through who is eligible. Consider at what level of the organisation you
cut off eligibility (for example, directors and above are not eligible).
§ Promote the programme using a wide range of media, including newsletters or
emails.
§ Ensure the programme is fair and equitable.
§ Publicise the criteria for any formal programme.
§ Have start and end times so that you can make the programme lively.
§ Publicly thank the award winners whether in an “all hands” meeting, in a newsletter,
or on your website (or all three).
§ If your organisation works in teams, consider having a team award as well as
individual awards.

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§ Peer recognition is valued, so consider having awards voted on by employees.

§ Truly reward. Don’t just have an employee of the month plaque that is passed
around so that everyone gets it once!

Examples of Types of Rewards

No-Cost Rewards Low-Cost Rewards
§ Verbal thank-you. § Gift cards to local restaurants.
§ Handwritten thank-you note. § Spot cash awards for excellent
§ Letter of appreciation from the CEO or performance.
other senior leader for a job well done. § Movie tickets.
§ Recognition at a meeting. § Company logo merchandise.
§ Recognition in the company § Day off with pay.
newsletter. § Lunch for the team.

Feedback
§ Negative Feedback
This is the process of pointing out what someone is doing poorly and telling him how
to change it.
§ Positive Feedback
This works on the idea of building on a person's strengths. It tells an employee what
she is doing well and praises her for good performance.

Giving constructive feedback when it’s needed is essential to creating a productive work
environment, but you must give that feedback in the right way. The person receiving it
should use what she hears from you to improve her own performance and that of her team
and the organisation.

Feedback is often corrective, which means it’s intended to help the person change course or
adjust practices when the current ones aren’t working. It can also be positive, aimed at
reinforcing good work and patterns of problem solving.

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What Feedback Provides...

§ Shows your staff that you are paying attention to them and their performance.
§ Signals appreciation for a job well done.
§ Changes undesirable behaviour.
§ Points out a more productive course of action.
§ Contributes to others’ learning and development.
§ Motivates and inspires individuals to higher levels of performance.
§ Strengthens your connection with co-workers.
§ Enhances communication and improves teamwork.

What Makes Feedback Effective?

Delivering feedback should be a regular part of anyone’s job. It needs to be delivered at the
right time and in the right way; in other words,
§ It is shared frequently and in related to the situation.
§ It aims to achieve a specific outcome.
§ It is realistic in its expectations.
§ It shows respect for the person.
§ It is a two-way conversation.
§ It assumes an opportunity for follow-up.

Overcome your fear of giving feedback

Even if you know that giving feedback is valuable, you might still hesitate to do it, especially
when it comes to giving corrective feedback.
Some reasons include:
§ You worry that giving feedback will make the person dislike you, or that it will
damage your relationship.
§ You assume that the other person cannot handle the feedback.
§ Previously, the recipient resisted feedback or didn’t act on it.
§ You feel that the person is already too stuck in his ways and that the feedback won’t
be helpful.
§ You fear an awkward or even dangerous situation.

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Positive Feedback / Reinforcement

People are programmed to respond better to positive feedback than negative feedback.
Negative words may hurt, but positive words and positive reinforcement are much more
likely to motivate people to replicate behaviour.
Positive feedback or positive reinforcement is such a powerful and motivating force that it is
called “the most important and most widely applied principle of behaviour analysis and
organisational behaviour”.

Two Basic Goals of Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement in the workplace should achieve two basic goals:
1. To acknowledge someone's action/behaviour.
2. To encourage the person to repeat the behaviour.
The second goal is somewhat dependent on the reinforcement taking place as soon as
possible after the original action or behaviour. Time is very important, and a delay in
response makes it less likely that a person will repeat the desired action or behaviour

The 4 Forms of Positive Reinforcement

1 Natural reinforcers:

2 Token reinforcers:

3 Social reinforcers:

4 Tangible reinforcers:

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