A Little Praise Goes a Long Way | January 2002 Short Takes -- Web Exclusive

Short Takes — Web Exclusive: A Little Praise Goes a Long Way

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By Bob Nelson

To motivate employees, enhance productivity and boost morale, employee recognition should be a permanent part of your management strategy. Here are a few examples from Bob Nelson's 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (Workman Publishing, $10.95) of how some companies have used recognition to produce a positive, productive and enjoyable work environment:

Employees at Blanchard Training and Development in Escondido, Calif., get two movie passes on their birthdays.

The president of Merle Norman Cosmetics keeps track of everyone's birthday and when possible, makes a point of seeking out people to wish them well on that day. The company chef also bakes a birthday cake for the employee.

Bob Nelson's 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (Workman Publishing, $10.95)

Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, runs contests for the fun of it. These include a Thanksgiving poem contest, a Halloween costume contest and a design contest for the December newsletter. The firm also has an annual chili cook-off.

A physical therapist's office instituted a "Margarita Award" for the therapist who had to work with the toughest client that week or month. The group treats the award recipient to a margarita happy hour.

According to Michael LeBoeuf, author of The Greatest Management Principle in the World, here is one way you can use time off as a reward: If the job permits it, simply give people a task and a deadline and specify the quality you expect. If they finish before the deadline, the extra time is their reward.

At Celestial Seasonings, which packages herbal teas in Boulder, Colo., every employee receives a $25 check on his or her birthday, a $50 check at Thanksgiving and a $100 check at Christmas.

Communication Briefings/Newstrack Communication Services in Blackwood, N.J., uses an employee recognition coupon system that helps foster employees' appreciation of each other's contributions, this results in more teamwork and better morale. Each employee receives 20 coupons to distribute. When the employee sees a co-worker doing anything extraordinary, he simply fills out a coupon, including the reason for the recognition, and gives it to the co-worker. Employees save the coupons (up to a maximum of 20 per year) and redeem them for the following special awards:

1 coupon: certificate for a free car wash

5 coupons: $25 gift certificate for dinner

10 coupons: $50 gift certificate for Macy's

15 coupons: one-night stay for two in Atlantic City

20 coupons: one-year membership to Four Seasons Health Spa.

The pharmaceuticals company Cyanamind Canada initiated a "key to innovation campaign" encouraging workers to contribut ideas and become "frequent innovators." For productivityenhancing ideas, employees received from 40-1,000 points, redeemable in an award catalog for prizes such as glassware, radios, televisions and weekend trips for two.

Today's Temporary, based in Dallas, gives temporary employees who have worked during the previous six months a card with a scratch-off panel concealing a named prize. Prizes include a diamond watch, $100 or $50 cash, calculators and six months of free long-distance telephone calls.

For more helpful and innovative tips on boosting employee morale, check out 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, which is available through www.nelson-motivation.com.

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