The Stars Among Us
by Lois MelbournePeer recognition is so very valuable. It helps people feel connected to their co-workers. At Aquire we have a program we call Stars Recognition. It used to be a Pink Flamingo award and the winner each month got a tacky pink flamingo that the previous recipient would adorn with yet another tacky accessory relocated to their office. But that became impractical with the increased amount of telecommuting and the bling heavy flamingo, named Pinky, was moved to a prominent place in the hallway.
Our stars program is very simple. When an employee wants to give a visible thank you to an employee, they submit a “Star Award” to the Star Coordinator, explaining how the individual went out of their way to help, or they produced exemplary work. There are a lot of stars flying around this place. Last month some teammates did an amazing job on a workforce planning RFP (Request for Proposal). The sales rep for whom they managed it sent them each Stars. Another employee created some beautiful custom succession planning org charts for a customer that looked great in their proof of concept for their CEO. The client manager gave that product support person a Star. Another employee found thousands of dollars in savings for the company. Their manager gave them a Gold Star, and the Executive Team saw the recognition and gave them a bonus.
The Stars show up in their personnel file, as well as an icon on the corporate organizational chart. Each month the employee who was awarded the most stars is recognized at the monthly luncheon. Everyone who gets a star is given a gasoline gift card. The annual winner of the most stars also receives recognition and a gift at the annual meeting. Gifts have ranged from a day at a spa to tickets to a Cowboys football game. So, even though there are very minor expenses associated with the recognition, in general the program is free. The reward for the employee is often priceless. It is a magnifier for the verbal thank you they get when they deliver something to a co-worker. It can be amazingly effective.
Recognition is important; recognition from your peers is really encouraging and very much appreciated. I would like to hear about programs for Peer Recognition that you utilize and how you have made it visible.
Cheers,
Lois
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