A few weeks ago at a workshop I did in Ottawa, I had the good fortune of presenting my Engage 360 Program to a number of local and national organizations. Sponsored by Volunteer Canada and Volunteer Ottawa it was a pleasure to present to such a diverse group.
As part of the workshop, we brainstormed ways managers can provide recognition to employees and colleagues effectively and without cost. Here are some of the great ideas:
- Give genuine and sincere thank yous;
- Inquire about and show an interest in employee’s non-work life;
- Give your full attention (i.e. stop doing other tasks) and pay attention when someone is speaking with you;
- Remember people’s given or preferred names;
- Host a meet and greet regularly (i.e. quarterly) to create opportunities for staff to engage informally;
- Share food i.e. potlucks;
- Give credit for other’s contributions. This can be doubly powerful if given publicly like in a newsletter or a team meeting;
- Acknowledge team or individual successes in the minutes of meetings;
- Make eye contact with whom you are speaking;
- Acknowledge key employee dates like birthdays, anniversaries, etc.;
- Send emails of thanks or acknowledgement and be sure to cc relevant others i.e. Executive Director, manager;
- Write thank you letters or make quick phone thank you calls;
- Have regular one-on-one check-ins with direct reports;
- Celebrate milestones such as the completion of projects, initiatives or major tasks;
- Profile people, events and accomplishments in newsletters;
- Do regular walk-abouts to connect with your team and others.
Special thanks to Indigo Holley for the great note taking and follow-up which allowed me to offer this list.
I’m interested in hearing about some of the things that you or your company do to recognize others and their work that don’t cost money. What can you add to this list? What things make the biggest difference?
