Hey Man Did You Get an Award?- Recognition Can Go A Long Way

Ok, that's dramatic, but Michael Scott may be on to something... 

Recently I have come across an article discussing a study by the American Psychological Association conducted by Harris Interactive between January 31 and February 8, 2011. The survey found some quite interesting results regarding the overall morale and attitude of employees across the country in our current economic state. 

Stagnant job growth and lack of salary raises are factors in the poor attitude of workers, but employees also cited heavy workload (43 percent), unrealistic job expectations (40 percent) and long hours (39 percent) as significant sources of stress. "Additionally, less than half of employees (43 percent) said they receive adequate non-monetary rewards and recognition for their contributions at work and only 57 percent reported being satisfied with their employer's work-life practices. Just 52 percent of employees said they feel valued on the job, only two thirds reported being motivated to do their best at work and almost a third (32 percent) indicated that they intend to seek employment elsewhere within the next year."

Think about the last statistic. One-third of your current employees may have the intention of seeking employment elsewhere within the next year. Is that something your business can handle? With expectations of the economy bouncing back soon, the last thing an organization needs is for their employeess to bounce at the first sign of sunshine because they have been over-stressed and undervalued during these tough times. Employees are the center of your business. They are the ones who have most of the contact with your clients and customers, and to keep your employees happy is a great step in the direction of keeping your business partners happy.  When the economy bounces back make sure you will be able to keep those employees around that have done a great job. Show them how important they are to you now by recognizing their achievements! By taking these steps you will achieve the loyalty of those employees that have stuck around this long, and you may be surprised how far a little recognition can go.