Sally’s passion was graphic design. It was something that she could engage in for hours on end without feeling fatigued and with no need for breaks. Her designs always stood out and attracted the most attention.
After completing her masters she decided to pursue her passion. Luckily, she landed a job as a graphic designer in a well-known company. Thrilled, she set about her work from day one in right earnest.
A few months later, although she loved her job, she quit. At the time of leaving she was completely demotivated and depressed. She was the complete opposite of when she started.
There are a plethora of reasons why an employee would leave and a lot has been written about it. It could be low pay or problems with the change in the environment. This is especially true when there is a new boss. It could also be a case of the other side of the grass looking greener.
But the biggest reason why employees leave is because of the lack of recognition. It is as though the seniors refuse to appreciate the work that he or she puts in.
Attrition is the bane of every organization. Not only does the company lose an employee but the cost incurred on training the employee goes waste. The same amount of money needs to be spent once again and the cycle continues. It is so important to understand why employees leave an organization.
Reward hard work, not only by paying well or with a nice bonus but with sincere words of appreciation.
Sally never ever heard a good word for all the beautiful graphic work that she did during those months. She took up one task after another and her job was to complete them like a robot. One day she decided that she couldn’t take it anymore and quit.
In fact, appreciating an employee’s good work acts as a catalyst that spurs an even better performance.
So why don’t all bosses refuse to appreciate their subordinates? Why do they pretend that their entire team’s work is just ordinary?
Let me cite my own experience in the corporate world. I had left one job and joined another due to what I thought would be a better environment than the first one.
I spoke to one of my ex-colleagues a few weeks later. I came to know that my previous boss remembered me ever so often for the great work that I was doing. I was an example for others to follow — this is after I had left the company!
This set me thinking. After all, the same praise given earlier, before leaving would have been so motivating for me. More than being selfish, it was because my old boss wished to take all the credit for my good work.
This happens everywhere because after all, bosses have their seniors too.
Instead of giving credit to one of their team members, it was easier to claim the work as their own.
When you praise your team members, they become motivated. You are also setting the bar for the high quality that you expect out of them. This is what the employee will remember for all his future tasks. It gives him a sense of accomplishment and self- satisfaction.
That is enough to keep him going for long even after his salary runs out before the end of the month.
It is imperative to appreciate and recognize the employee’s efforts. Recognition does not always need to be in the form of a bonus or a pay increase.
After all, a bonus or an increase is usually an annual feature. An appreciation of a worker’s attention to detail or the high-quality work he has done may be way more valuable to him than a monetary reward.
Most employees tend to wait for recognition rather than seek it. Very few will sing praises about their own work. The onus of giving due appreciation lands on the shoulders of the boss. Appreciation pretty much needs to happen in-house — external parties like clients may or may not do so.
Most clients may feel that paying for work done is enough appreciation. In any case, they are dealing with a company and not an individual.
Being able to stand tall among peers after an excellent performance means more than any monetary reward.
True, if the pay sucks you can’t expect employees to stay on. But most times it is something other than pay that makes them leave. Payday comes once a month but appreciation can happen more often.
Praise only when deserving and appreciate good quality. Then watch how you can get consistent high performance from all your employees.
Voltaire said, “By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.” Well said!
When you appreciate your team member’s work it reflects that it was you who made it possible by providing the right environment. A workplace with no appreciation leads to a toxic, negative environment. Employees tend to bottle up their stress while trying to perform their best. Negativity will reign and office gossip further adds fuel to the fire.
Recruiting talented individuals is becoming a Herculean task. An organization appreciating its employees will lead the way in the race to attracting the best talent.
Thanks for reading!
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