Motivation and Control: Thanks for Nothing Paper Week 2 September 28, 2010 CJA473 Managing Criminal Justice Personnel Jim Keesee Marshall MacHugh Motivation and Control: Thanks for Nothing Paper If praising employees for doing a good job seems to be a fairly easy and obvious motivational tool, why do you think companies and managers don’t often do it? I believe there are several reasons why companies and managers do not praise employees for doing a job well done. One of the reasons is the lack of communication. Many times the managers do not realize an employee has done a good job. The managers can be too out of touch with their first line workers to notice something done correctly.
Training is another reason preventing praise from occurring. Managers are not trained to praise employees but only recognize their failures and point out the employee’s shortcomings. Many companies are so out of touch with their employees they do not even know what their employees are doing. Employees want recognition for their good work but no one has told the managers they want it.
Also, many managers and companies do not think to ask if employees want recognition and what type of recognition they would like. The managers and companies do not see how praising can boost morale and therefore it is overlooked. Communication is essential and when it breaks down, employees do not receive praise for their good work. A breakdown in communication is the main culprit in this scenario. As a manager, what steps would you take to motivate your employees after observing them perform well? I make it a point to thank or praise an employee every time I see them perform a job well done.
I like to treat my employees to lunch when they meet certain goals. I believe praising employees in front of their coworkers for performing well is a great motivator. That can backfire in certain situations but I have not observed it happening with me as a manager. At my current employer we have a rewards program, which awards points when an employee meets certain goals. These rewards points can be used to redeem items such as stereos, televisions, lawn equipment, or just about anything else you want to purchase from a local retailer. As a participant in this program, I do find it motivating to reach certain goals to receive the reward points.
Are there any downsides to giving employees too much verbal praise? What might these downsides be and how could you alleviate them as a manager? If you give employees too much verbal praise it may lose its clout. Employees can become numb to the constant praise. Just as with the government printing money, the more praise you give out the less it’s worth. This is not always the case but it is very possible to happen. Also, there is a belief that there is no such thing as too much verbal praise.
Human beings constantly want affirmation and need acceptance. An employee always welcomes verbal recognition from a manager for doing a job well done. Not always verbally praising an employee in front of their coworkers is a way to prevent any type of stigma from occurring. Resentment is a morale killer and the last thing a manager wants within their business.
As a manager, how would you ensure that recognition given to employees is distributed fairly and justly? I believe a program that lets employees submit recognition for other employees can help ensure it is distributed fairly and justly. Allowing employees to nominate their coworkers allows recognition to be given even when management is not aware of their job well done. We had a similar system at a former employer of mine and I do believe it worked well. As a manager, I would like to think I keep an open line of communication with my employees. That communication is key to knowing what recognition my employees want and need. That is what will keep up morale and keep happy and productive employees.