The Power of Praise
Whenever I ask a group of managers if they praise their staff, all say that they do. So the question remains, why do so many employees feel that their hard work is not being recognised. In a majority of organisations, a lack of staff recognition is often one of the top 3 risks on organisation-wide staff engagement surveys.
The ineffective use of praise is confirmed in a study across multiple organisations (Rewick & Lawler), that showed that praise ranked 15th as a staff motivator, behind pay (ranked 12th). Although praise has potential to be a top motivator, it clearly is not being done well.
There is a key flaw in my opening sentence. I am asking managers if they are praising. The power of praise is the way it is received, not in the way it is given. A better question to ask managers would be “to what extent do your staff feel that they are being praised?”
When thinking about praise and recognition of staff, managers need to start with the perceptions of their staff; their likes, dislikes and preferences. In addition to this, managers need to practice and refine the way they praise. If done well, praise can do far more than build motivation. A recent report by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (UK) has stated that necessary levels of praise are required for workplace mental well-being. This is key to achieving high employee engagement and positive workplaces.
So, what is a good starting point for making PRAISE effective?
Here is a mnemonic to help you:
Purposeful Link the praise you give to a behaviour or change that you would like the staff member to make. Don’t just say ‘well done’ at the end of the day. Make what you say specific such as ‘Thanks for completing the report on time as it really helped me get the numbers that I needed”.
Real Be genuine. Give praise in a way that makes you feel comfortable and sounds authentic.
Active Just Do It! Give praise at every opportunity. Forget about the ‘sandwich principle’. We need to give 5 positive comments to every 1 negative comment with all employees.
Individual Make sure you tailor praise to the individual. Not everyone wants to have their work announced at a team meeting. Recognise good work in a way that it will be received as praise. It is about ‘them’, not you.
Straight away The closer you give praise to the time that the great outcome/behaviour occurred, the more powerful.
Evaluate Check what you say is being received as praise. Just because you intend it that way, does not mean that it is effective. Remember each individual has different preferences.