Recognizing an employee for their hard work, dedication, and consistent performance is a simple way to show they are a valued member of the team. When employee recognition is given often and applied consistently, team members become more engaged, have stronger individual performance, and tend to have a longer tenure with an organization. Additionally, when employee recognition is directed at target behaviors like improving collaboration, small rewards can greatly impact key organizational needs like stronger teamwork.
Coworkers: The Family You Choose?
Most adults spend 90,000 hours of their lives at work, so it’s natural that we want to feel deeply connected to the individuals we work alongside all day. Employees who feel emotionally connected with one another report they are not only happier at work, but also more engaged and creative. In fact, employees who work with their best friend are 7 times more likely to be fully engaged at work. With such key business outcomes on the line, naturally many organizations aspire to a family-like culture where employees feel deeply connected and comfortable with one another. From picnics to softball … Read More
Employees, Holidays, and Engagement
As we approach the end of the year, it’s no surprise that your employees have been feeling short on time. In addition to their engagement and commitment to the job, they’re managing a mental checklist of activities, events, and to-do’s from home. Shopping, cleaning, decorating, setting travel plans, and more take up precious downtime and leave workers feeling as though they’ve taken on a second job. For employees with children, they’re likely stressed about childcare during the winter break in addition to attending year-end recitals, holiday programs, and class parties. And there’s no relief at work, either. With winter illnesses … Read More
Leading through Failure
As with anything in life, there are highs and lows. When you’re in a leadership position, the highs you experience in business are more rewarding because they are multi-faceted. The highs usually involve a combination of business goal achievement, rewards/recognition from above, shared success with the team and the satisfaction of knowing your vision, coaching, and strategy is what enabled the team to achieve success. Naturally, the lows can feel just as low. People who rise to the level of leadership are driven and crave achievement. Even when failure is outside of their control, they will internalize it and feel … Read More
An Attentional Control Reality Check
From time to time, most leaders feel like they’re wading through quick sand. They know they worked a full day (often longer than 8 hours) and yet, the to-do list never shortens or becomes less urgent. They blame unnecessary meetings, redundant reports, and the unpredictable nature of having to put out fires for their lack of time, but rarely are those really the root cause of the problem. I found myself in a similar position recently. While feeling that my efforts weren’t making an impact on the endless list of high priorities on my desk, I blamed the situation. It’s … Read More
5 Reasons to Opt Out of Annual Performance Reviews
The snow on the ground and twinkling holiday lights visible during the 5pm commute home in the dark serve as reminders that December is upon us and it’s time to wrap up the year. Some may say it’s the most wonderful time of the year! ‘Tis the season for giving after all! Specifically, it’s the season for finding joy in giving with no expectation of getting anything in return. The Grinch in me finds it almost poetic that December also means it’s time for annual performance reviews—the season of giving hours of consideration to ratings, comments, and feedback with no … Read More