“If businesses are to grow their way out of the current economic malaise, they will have to get more productivity out of their people—not by cutting and slashing, but by nurturing, engaging, and recognizing.” – John A. Bryne, editor-in-chief, Fast Company magazine
In a down economy, a manager’s first instinct is to cut back. And the “soft side” of business—including recognition programs— is often the first to be slashed. But when you cut recognition, you are sacrificing the future. As Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton describe it in the book, “A Carrot a Day”, recognition is the lifeblood of innovation, retention and productivity. It’s what keeps employees motivated in the tough times. (And it’s why they’ll still be devoted when things improve.)
Managers and employees are constantly looking for the secret of “motivating their people.” Therein lies the problem. You can’t motivate people- But you can set an example and create an environment where they will motivate themselves. As a leader, the secret to creating a successful work environment is to first create an atmosphere in which success can occur. This means a continuous positive attitude on your part and continuous positive reinforcement from your employees. It means recognizing and rewarding great performance.
The tone for the company is set by creating the right work environment (and the right boss environment). Word of mouth is just as powerful from your employees as it is from your customers. If you treat your customers great and your employees lousy, that mixed message is devastating at the cash register.
So many leaders fail to realize that their employees go home and talk about their day with you, just like customers go home and talk about their purchases and experiences with you. And the internal customer is just as powerful as the external one. When you have a great, productive, high-earning team the word gets out. The “law of attraction” kicks in. Great talent will call and want to work for you. What a great dilemma to have!
At Star Staffing, we treat our customers just the same as our employees. We understand that our employees and internal staff are the ones who make us the premier staffing firm we are today. We believe in recognizing our employees for positive behavior and performance. One of our employee recognition programs is our Star of the Month where we recognize an individual in each office that demonstrates the following:
- Performance –meeting and exceeding work load expectations, completing tasks early, taking on additional tasks when requested.
- Safety – adheres to all safety rules, makes suggestions for keeping the workplace and others safe.
- Perfect Attendance – always on time and ready to work, returns on time from breaks.
- Attitude – maintaining a positive attitude, being willing, going above and beyond.
We value and appreciate each and every one of our employees. Although we recognize them through numerous programs, we thought we would dedicate an entire month tailored to them. We will be providing them with thank you notes, cupcakes and goodies, gifts, and in the last week of September, they will have a chance to win a 32 inch plasma TV! We are excited to take the month of September to recognize each individual on a specific attribute that contributes to our success. Together, we make the difference!