| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Take the time to really get to know your employees. Find out what motivates each one. Respect people’s differences. | Treat everyone the same. One size does not fit all when it comes to employee recognition (i.e. one person may enjoy public recognition while another would be embarrassed by it.) |
| Be creative. Create recognition practices that your employees love. Research shows that the more satisfied employees are with the organization’s recognition practices, the more productive they are and the less likely they are to leave | Minimize the value of an effective reward and recognition program. |
| Praise immediately following the positive action/behavior. This is where you get the best return. | Save up and hoard your praise for a rainy day. Your employees may forget what they did to earn the recognition. |
| Catch your superstars in the act. It’s human nature to want others to notice our accomplishments. | Make the mistake of thinking high performers don’t need recognition. |
| Fairly recognize employees based on objective criteria. | Play favorites and always recognize the same employees. Everyone deserves to be recognized during the year. |