It was Mark Twain who once

said; "I can live for two months on a good

compliment."

Money may attract people to

the front door, but something else has to keep them from

going out the back. Many times employees say they are

quitting because of a better paying job elsewhere.

However, statistics show that the number one reason

people quit their jobs is a lack of recognition and

praise.

Reward and recognition is

not just a nice thing to do, but a critical element in

the management toolkit. People have a basic human need to

feel appreciated and recognition programs help meet that

need.

The second aspect of this

science is management must create consequences for the

behavior important for business success.

A "behavior"

could be showing up for work on time, having perfect

attendance or going over and beyond the call of duty for

customers or any other important behavior. A workplace is

one that develops systems and processes to reward,

recognize and sustain those important behaviors.

Peer recognition is an

example of a reward and recognition tool. It is one of

the easiest and most effective programs to initiate. Peer

recognition is where the employees have the power to

reward each other for doing a good job.

Peer recognition works

because employees themselves know whom works hard and

deserves recognition. Managers can,t be everywhere all

the time; therefore, the employees are in the best

position to catch people doing the right things. Also,

workers usually value each other's influence more than

their supervisor's peer pressure.

I was working with a client

where we developed a program called "My Shining

Star!"

Workers have access to an

unlimited supply of "My Shining Star!" forms to

hand-write a little note about the good job their

co-workers did. On the back of the form, the store lists

the behaviors they want to recognize including:

�Demonstrates friendly,

caring service.

�Shows flexibility.

�Demonstrates teamwork.

�Helps to save money.

When the employee writes up

their coworker, the forms go to the main office where

they post these forms on a central bulletin board for all

employees to see.

For added recognition, the

store formally recognizes the employee who received the

highest number of forms at the end of each month. That

person receives a special gift from the store manager.

Then all the forms given out during the month are placed

into a basket and names are randomly drawn for additional

prizes. The forms are read aloud and recognition given to

both the awardee, as well as the person submitting the

form.

To reinforce what I said

earlier, reward and recognition is not just something

"nice" to do. The goal is to create a work

environment that attracts, keeps and motivates them to

stay with you and not leave for your competition. This

requires true leadership and a new management philosophy.

Free by fax: If you would

like additional tips on how to create a motivating work

environment, please fax your name on your letterhead or

E-mail us with the words, "Tips" to 770-760-0581/[email protected] .

Gregory P. Smith, author of

The New Leader, and How to Attract, Keep and Motivate

Your Workforce. He speaks at conferences, leads seminars

and helps organizations solve problems. He leads an

organization called Chart Your Course International

located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464

or send an email at [email protected]. More

information and articles are available at https://www.ChartCourse.com .