How Many Employees Have You Thanked Today?

In order to avoid a wait I arrived at the lab within minutes of the scheduled opening time. My calculations made me the first patient of the day for blood work. The technician was a bit brusque, giving me the impression that she would have preferred to sit down for a cup of coffee before labeling vials. She worked efficiently. Without any chatting, the specimens necessary to complete my annual physical were filled before I even knew the needle was in my arm.

I looked up and said, 'Wow, you were great, I didn't even feel it. I hope this means that the rest of your day goes as smoothly."  For the first time since I had entered her work space the technician made eye contact, then she broke into a wide smile and said, "Thanks, I hope so too."

One day a group of employees is going to tell me that they get too much praise -- maybe. I doubt it. Survey after survey, meeting upon meeting and countless studies confirm that employees want recognition for the work they do. It doesn't take a gold watch or an annual dinner; a simple, sincere, well-timed thank you goes a very long way.

Make Employee Recognition a Habit

Thanking people can be habit forming. If you thank not only your own employees, but also peers, vendors, service providers, even the phlebotomist, it can become part of your natural activity. Praise is more likely to be received as sincere as the frequency increases, as long as it is genuine and specific. A flurry of "atta boys" or "nice work" tossed off in passing will not have the same impact.

Telling Trish, "You were so well prepared for the client presentation that they told me they have complete confidence in our company" will go much further than, "Great job on the presentation, Trish." Which statement will be more likely to have Trish crossing all of the t's and dotting i's before the next client meeting?

Put It in Writing

Never discount the power of a handwritten note. It's certainly easier to dash off an email, and this may be the best option when you want to selectively copy senior staff to share the praise. But there is nothing like a handwritten note to show that you really took the time to recognize someone. Handwritten notes were a cultural norm at a startup where I headed HR. At weekly leadership team meetings we always had a stack of blank cards and everyone present wrote at least one note before we left the room. I heard more than one story about employees who carried these cards around in their pockets and frequently heard, "No one ever thanked me for work before."

This week a manager told me about being on the sending and receiving end of this type of praise. At the family-owned company where he had worked for 35 years one of the owners passed on the responsibility for a key department and followed up with a personal visit and handwritten note stating that he knew the area was in good hands. The 90-year-old owner could have sent the card through channels but for this loyal manager the in-person delivery and handshake validated their commitment. The same manager described giving specific praise and hearing too, "No one ever thanked me for my work."

Don't wait for superstar performances, a sunny day, or the biggest deal. Start giving out praise today and watch the smiles and effort multiply.