{{title}}
{{byline}}
{{byline}}
Employees are driven by recognition. They want to feel valued, loved, and appreciated. The less they are paid the more important they receive this recognition.
Front line employees are typically not valued or appreciated. The attitude is ‘I don’t pay them much, they are lucky to have a job, and they need me more than I need them.’ We all work for money but the real energy and commitment comes from the inner motivation that gets turned on when we feel valued. Recognition works.
Children need attention every day. They will always do something to get our attention when ignored. Adults also need recognition every day. Paying for our work does not create the real commitment you want and need. It only brings the human to the job.
Every day with all your employees you need to look for ways to show your appreciation for their work. Even if you have unlimited money you will never earn their heart with only money. You need to send emails, handwritten notes, and verbally give the recognition. It needs to be sincere, timely, genuine, and specific. Phony feedback has no value. It costs you nothing to tell an employee she is doing a great job.
Employee turnover is expensive. In the US there are millions of job openings. When you lose someone it is becoming harder to replace them. Many employees do not feel appreciated so they are looking for a new opportunity. Many firms average a 25-35% employee turnover rate. The major reason a person starts looking is they do not feel valued, wanted, and appreciated. It costs you nothing to tell an employee, “Thanks for helping on the Miller project. You did an awesome job.” or “Thanks Sam for helping out last night. You saved us. You are an awesome asset to our company.”
The cost to replace an employee can easily be more than $1,000 to $5,000. Keeping employees motivated and working on 8 cylinders takes love, recognition, and appreciation. The question to ask yourself is: Do your employees love their jobs? If a better offer came their way would they look at it and would they take it?
John Tschohl is a professional speaker, trainer, and consultant. He is the president and founder of Service Quality Institute with operations in over 40 countries. He is considered to be one of the foremost authorities on service strategy, coaching, service recovery, success, empowerment, and customer service in the world. John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online at no charge. www.customer-service.com He can also be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.