Recognize your people. Every
major study I’ve seen says that
higher pay typically falls at No. 5
or 6 when you rank the things
that people care about most at a
company. The things that rise to
the top tend to be respect,
responsibilities and recognition
— it could be public recognition, awards, it’s things like that
that get people jazzed.
You can pay people a lot of
money, but if they don’t feel
respected, they’re going to burn
out, they’re not going to stay
and be productive.
It’s important to understand
the culture. … And if you’re a
new leader coming to the organization, talk to some of the people who have been around for a
while and find out what’s been
done in the past.
Different people might like more public recognition; some
might like it more privately. It’s
important to recognize and
respect the work culture. But
most people like getting as little
as a thank you — it could be a
note on their desk or a cookie
that says, ‘Thank you for what
you did last week,’ to the bigger,
broader, make a real big deal
about it, put your picture up,
(have the) most valued employee.
It’s something as simple as recognizing their performance in front
of everybody in the company.
You can also ask the employees what ideas they have for
recognizing people. You might
get some that say, ‘Just give me
the cold, hard cash,’ but most
people would be surprised as
to the creativity that you hear
from employees if you just ask
them.
HOW TO REACH: Glory Foods Inc., (614) 252-2042 or www.gloryfoods.com
