Caught in the Act

 

Everybody likes to be acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts. Or do they? Most companies have a formal way of acknowledging employees with such things as annual award banquets, top sales awards and certificates. But there are a couple major pitfalls to these programs:

• The reward is handed down from management and reinforces imbalances in power.
• It can be patronizing to receive a small award for a large accomplishment.
• The accomplishment is often a team effort. It fosters resentment when just one person gets the reward.
• It creates competition.
• The most common flaw of award programs is they often reward people for doing work they were supposed to do anyway.

The best form of acknowledgment is grounded in the idea that people work because they are committed and want to work. This assumes people work for reasons other than a paycheck at the end of the week or an award at the end of a project. Many…

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