Finally, I had my annual review today. It was decent, an overall 4 out of a possible 5 rating. Unfortunately, there were a couple of 2's. Ouch! One of the things I need to improve is showing appreciation for my staff. I need ideas and so here I am asking my readers/friends to offer them. What we are doing now is to give everyone their own birthday parties with their choice of cake, balloons, flowers, cards, and I always give a gift as well. When a staff member is ill for an extended period of time we send cards and welcome them back with flowers, balloons, and cards. I once gave gold stars for my staff to put on their employee badges, but the badges filled up too fast so I stopped giving them. I don't have a lot of money to buy a lot of treats so I need to be creative. The only thing that comes to mind is to give out stars or smiley faces, but not put them on their badges. I thought about fixing them a special breakfast or desert occasionally. We're not allowed to eat in our office and as we're customer service, we can't take lunch or breaks at the same time. Perhaps I can still find a way to do this even if I have to do this in shifts. I'm afraid if I get a plaque and have an employee of the month or quarter, the others will revolt. Then again, maybe they would like this. I fear, however, that there are three superstars in our department who would always get this and leave the others in the dust. I like the idea of giving a game ball to an outstanding player, like my daughter's coaches do for their softball games. What kind of trophy can I give to a customer service rep that would be in the same vein? It can't be anything expensive as I still have four children, a husband, and a high mortgage to support. I'm open to ideas. Please! I want my staff to be happy and feel appreciated. I want to elevate that 2 to at least a 4 but better yet a 5. Please leave ideas in my comments box here. Thanks in advance.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Annual Reviews and Management Appreciation of Employees
You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)
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3 comments:
Staff appreciation? All the gold stars or plaques or whatever's in the world are not going to make me feel appreciated. That's kindergarten stuff. You're dealing with adults.
Workers like to be shown respect - talk to them - ask them what's important...what they would like to see happen in the work place. What are their goals? What improvements would they make? What incentives would they give? How do they feel about gold stars? Having worked in many offices the one thing management never do is actually sit down and talk to the staff - one on one - and 'hear' what they are saying and feeling in the workplace.
And a couple of 2's Ashley? So what? They're just a number. You can't define your life or value by that.
I have to agree with Amarinda that gold stars and smiley faces wouldn't work for me. Maybe when I was a kid, but not now.
I, too, manage a department in my "day job." I treat each and every one of my team members (I refuse to refer to them as "my staff", I always refer to us as a team) the way I'd want to be treated, let them know they're appreciated and valued and thank them--sincerely and profusely--for all they do.
Beyond that, you're only human and can only do so much.
IMO when you set up "award systems" and trophies, you bring unnecessary competition and negative feelings into the workplace.
If you can bake cookies or bring in brownies once in a while as a thank you, that would probably go a long way, too.
Like I said, you're human and can only do so much. Don't beat yourself up over it. Some people don't feel appreciated no matter what you do.
I think if you verbally acknowledge everyone when they do their job well, it will be appreciated. And bringing in treats is always a plus:)
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