Articles & Tips on Staff Recognition and Retention
Now That Someone has Been Hired,
the Real Recruiting Begins
Employees begin to form impressions about their new employer during their very first day on the job. To create commitment and build loyalty among new hires, organizations have to think in terms of re-recruiting employees, beginning on Day One. Employees who feel welcomed and valued are less likely to begin searching for a position elsewhere. Here are several techniques to welcome, orient, and re-recruit employees.
Five elements create high-impact staff recognition
Well-delivered staff recognition has five components. It is timely, specific, personalized, relevant, and genuine.
Don’t confuse compliments with staff recognition
While compliments are nice to hear, they do little to satisfy employees’ need for positive feedback. Staff recognition should focus on employees’ contributions and achievements, not on what they are wearing.
Experts identify keys to successful staff recognition
During the 2003 National Association for Employee Recognition convention, keynote speaker and breakout session leaders identified several keys to effective staff recognition as practised in successful organizations.
Special events do not equal meaningful staff recognition
Staff recognition is not about events; it is about feeling and showing an attitude of appreciation. It is not something that happens once a month or year, but something that happens on a daily basis in many small ways.
Annual dose of appreciation isn’t enough
Inviting staff for lunch during Administrative Professionals Day is a nice gesture, but doesn’t make up for a lack of ongoing recognition during the rest of the year.
Answer this question before it’s asked
On employees’ first day, let them know why your hired them. Hearing good news is a great way to start a new job.
A three-part interview with the
“Guru of Thank You” Bob Nelson
Using the words of others to recognize staff
How a school superintendent ensures that teachers and other staff read all the positive comments written by students and parents on attitude surveys.
Encourage children to express gratitude
A suggestion of what parents can do to help create a new generation of recognizers.
Planning a year of recognition
When planning for the new year, be sure to include recognition in your schedule.
Choose to see the positive, rather than the negative
We need to overcome our tendencies to focus on what goes wrong if we are to be effective in providing recognition.
In some workplaces, criticism is common . . . praise isn’t
When workers live with criticism, they are unsure of how to respond to praise and confused if the recognition is not specific.
Linking recognition to job satisfaction
Comparison of results on staff attitude surveys shows that satisfaction with the organization as a place to work is higher in those departments where staff feel that they are recognized regularly for their contributions.
Seven ways to build commitment on
your employees’ first day
How new employees are welcomed and treated during their first days on the job will make them commit to their new employer . . . or begin planning their next job search.
Co-workers: a potent source of recognition
Peer recognition can be the most powerful type of recognition of all. Here are some tips on what supervisors can do to encourage co-workers to recognize each other.
Leaders’ words and actions can
make value statements relevant
Too often, organizations’ mission and value statements are like wallpaper: they are on the wall, but no one notices them because what they say is not reflected in the day-to-day actions of leaders, who fail to encourage or recognize staff for doing things that reflect these values.
Return to Articles & Tips
Back to Top
|