An interesting conversation emerged in a workshop I was delivering this week.<\/p>\n
The discussion was regarding how to recognize employees and the value that a pat on the back and a simple \u2018thank you\u2019 can have on an employee\u2019s engagement level. The feedback one leader had received during another training session was that she says \u2018thank you\u2019 too often.\u00a0 That saying \u2018thank you\u2019 for work that you already expect employees to complete in some way diminishes expectations. \u00a0Can a manager ever acknowledge, recognize and praise an employee too much? Who decides on the quantity of praise? Is saying \u2018thank you\u2019 praise or just being well mannered?<\/p>\n
There has been much criticism about Gen Ys receiving too much praise. They have played on sports teams where everyone gets a trophy for participating and their parents have excessively rewarded them for what was once considered basic expectations; going to school, cleaning your room, doing chores.\u00a0 This has translated into an expectation that they receive on-going, frequent recognition by their managers.\u00a0 So it can certainly be argued that there are potential disadvantages if a manager gives too much verbal praise.\u00a0 The risk is that we may be creating the same type of \u2018hyper recognition\u2019 culture within our organizations, and that the basic functions\/tasks of a role shouldn\u2019t be recognized or rewarded because the expectation is that employees do their jobs well and to standard.\u00a0 Therefore, only those who go above and beyond in their roles ought to receive special acknowledgement.<\/p>\n
Be aware of the risks of over praising:<\/p>\n
To overcome these disadvantages, leaders need to give specific feedback when providing praise. The feedback should reinforce the right behaviours and motivate employees to continue in the same positive direction.<\/p>\n
Providing the right amount of praise also requires managers have a keen sense of the different motivators of their team members. If an employee is externally motivated praise will be more valued. If they are internally motivated then a manager can run the risk of overpraising if recognition is too frequent. The best way to gauge what an employee needs is to watch their reaction. If you see a rise in productivity and engagement with more frequent praise then you know it\u2019s a good fit.<\/p>\n
I believe there is a distinction between saying \u2018thank you\u2019 to an employee on a regular basis and over praising.\u00a0 Being appreciative of the value that employees bring to your team and the contributions they make, contributes to a collaborative and support environment.\u00a0 Saying thank you<\/em> is not only polite, it demonstrates that you value others.\u00a0 This is no way diminishes the standards required for success or the high levels of performance expected.\u00a0 When I say \u2018thank you\u2019 to an n-gen team member for completing a task or providing me with something I have asked for, this is not done to over-praise or placate them.\u00a0 It is done because it is polite, it is respectful, and I am grateful they are part of this team.\u00a0 Everyone on our team knows the high standards expected of him or her and if they aren\u2019t meeting them, each employee receives feedback and coaching on how to improve.<\/p>\n Having worked with over 200 organizations, it is much less common to find managers who over praise their employees, than under praise.\u00a0 In most cases leaders and managers have been so focused on identifying gaps in performance that they overlook the daily, weekly or monthly opportunities to acknowledge and thank their team members.<\/p>\n Since all employee are choosing to invest their human capital with the organizations \/ departments \/ leaders they work with, it just makes sense to demonstrate appreciation for their time and effort and create a culture of respect. I have never heard of an employee feeling devalued by their manager because they received too many thank you messages, but many have complained to me that they wish someone had simply acknowledged their hard work with a genuine message of \u201cthank you, I appreciate your efforts\u201d.\u00a0 I will always choose to err on the side of more praise than less, with concrete feedback when performance standards aren\u2019t being met, to create an environment of gratitude and appreciation for everyone I have the opportunity to work with.<\/p>\n Thank you!\u00a0\ud83d\ude42<\/tt>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An interesting conversation emerged in a workshop I was delivering this week. The discussion was regarding how to recognize employees and the value that a pat on the back and a simple \u2018thank you\u2019 can have on an employee\u2019s engagement … Continue reading