Rewards and Recognition Providers: Where Do We Go from Here?

Incentive magazine has just published my article on the importance of recognition in the workplace and its effects on employee health, employee loyalty, retention and productivity. Click here to read!

Can a Dose a Day of Employee Recognition Keep The Doctor Away?

Sound implausible? It did to me before I met Professor Jean-Pierre Brun!

Dr. Brun is a professor in the management department of the faculty of Science and Administration at Laval University in Quebec City. He holds a Ph.D. in ergonomics and a M.Sc. in the sociology of work. He is Director of the Chair in Occupational Health and Safety Management and Co-director of the MBA programs. He has received the Hermès Award for Excellence in Research. He has also published numerous articles in scientific and trade journals and is a frequent guest speaker at conferences.

Rideau created an alliance with Jean-Pierre and the University a couple of years ago after he published research revealing that employee recognition had a significant impact on stress at work.

To be more specific, Dr. Brun found that the absence of employee recognition was the second leading cause of workplace stress and burnout.

When Jean-Pierre and I met up for dinner one night, I asked him if the absence of employee recognition causes burnout and workplace stress, could its presence reduce these illnesses?

His answer was “yes”!

I guess employee recognition really does keep the doctor away!

What do you think?

The Golden Rule of Recognition

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind."
- Gordon Gekko from the movie Wall Street

Who can forget Michael Douglas’ lines from Oliver Stone’s classic movie Wall Street?

Although the characters were fictional, the times they portrayed were real. Consolidation and mergers were the rage. Those were the days of “right-sizing,” “down-sizing” all code words for “you’re losing your job!”

Isn’t it ironic that today’s managers bemoan the lack of loyalty from their workers? Is it any wonder? We have taught employee’s not to expect any loyalty from the corporation. So why should they be loyal to the corporation.

It is called the ethic of reciprocity. Don’t expect loyalty if you don’t give loyalty. Likewise, don’t expect commitment if you don’t give commitment.

At Rideau, we call this the “Golden Rule of Recognition”… treat employees like you would like them to treat the company. You’ll be amazed how far a little loyalty goes in improving your retention rates.

Practice the “Golden Rule of Recognition” because loyalty is a two way street!