What does it take to truly motivate an employee? What breaks an employee's resistance to showing up on time and lets them work with joy? What makes employees brag about the company that pays them?
How do successful companies succeed in keeping loyal employees? Not by fear or intimidation. Once pressure is applied to perform or produce, either more or better, the average employee becomes less effective.
Many employees are completely self-motivated and never need any outside impetus. They are content with fulfilling their own inward goals. Others need some inspiring and positive feedback in order to apply their most creative and heartfelt energies to a job. They need an incentive to feel they belong, and to have a sense of identity with the organization they work for. The desire for recognition resides in all of us and having this need acknowledged is an important part of one's work life.
Although each employee is an individual and works as an individual, a need exists to be aware that the employee is also a part of the whole group, the total organization, and that each individual's contribution is important. When the company treats an employee as someone important, that person will also feel the organization is important and will feel proud to be a part of its success and growth.
Employees aren't usually going to outwardly ask for recognition. In fact, when singled out for an award they may appear shy and mutter something about not really deserving it. However, inside they usually are glowing. When an employee receives a reward in the form of a pay raise, the reaction is usually one of relief. "Whew! I actually got it!" Look for opportunities to recognize your staff with both tangible and intangible rewards and seek to do it on a regular basis.
The power represented by any award or recognition goes beyond the dollar value. Without loyal, fantastic employees contributing every day, an organization won't exist. Those who are the lifeblood of the entity truly deserve all the awards and recognition that are bestowed upon them.
