by James Canada
When is the last time you considered your reward system? As we focus on employee empowerment, many of us forget about the rewards. We cannot have one without the other! It’s not just the pay scale that needs addressing, but the informal reward structure too. For example, if you want customer-facing employees to make decisions, then don’t question every decision they make. The behavior you want will quickly stop if you continue to question. Instead, make it a point to support them when their decisions are within the new parameters, and coach them when they’re not.
Acknowledging your staff in front of their peers is also a simple and informal way to reward employees for the behavior you desire. At the same time, try not to single out the same person on a regular basis. Make sure you are acknowledging everyone for doing a good job. You would be surprised how a simple “thank you” can resonate among your team.
Years ago, I used a simple reward program called “Catch Them Doing Something Right.” Once a month, employees acknowledged a peer who they felt went above and beyond their responsibilities to help the organization. They wrote the name of the person they wanted to recognize along with the reason why and submitted it to me for review. During a staff meeting, I would read the submittals to the entire team, and then select one for a small monetary reward. It fostered a great deal of cooperation and support throughout the team and people felt appreciated.
So, what are your reward systems—both formal and informal? Be sure to maintain consistent programs for acknowledgements, recognition, and decision-making. These will go a long way towards employee empowerment.
James H. Canada is managing partner/CEO for Alliance Technologies LLC, ITEN mentor and author of “Corporate to Entrepreneur: Strategies for Success.” Contact Jim at james.canada@alliancetechnologiesllc.com, 636-734-2337 or www.alliancetechnologiesllc.com.
Submitted 4 years 122 days ago