The Challenges With Creating Recognition at Work

When we think about workplace recognition, it is often in terms of 3 things:

Saying something nice:

When a manager responds to someone’s work by saying something like: thank you, or great job.

Doing something nice:

 When a manager does something helpful or thoughtful, such as; provide the office with coffee or pitch in to help someone out.

Giving something nice:

When a manager gives a person something of value or use, as a token of appreciation. Something like providing Christmas bonuses, or giving everyone some company swag.

The problem with these common and current practices in that they often fall short of the required elements for it to be meaningful. This causes us to often overuse methods of recognition and will often create a communication breakdown.

The manager needs to provide recognition that is varied in form and understood by everyone as a message of appreciation, show recognition in the moment or as soon as is practical, and be willing to take the time required to make a meaningful connection to those you work with.

To learn more about the challenge with creating recognition at work, please enjoy this 5 minute video.