~ Walking the Talk and BEing the Change ~

In the Spirit of Giving for The HR Carnival of Global Giving,  Ruth Estwick, our wonderful @HRstalker puts up a guest post. I thank her for her generosity, and time.

Have you ever wondered what value you bring to your organization? Do you feel as if your contributions make a difference? The responses to these are questions, I believe, are good indicators of both what motivates you and how you are recognized at work.

It baffles me that managers don’t realize how far a simple thank you can go. If our focus as managers was weighted more towards the people we manage rather than the tasks, perhaps we would enjoy increased productivity. Of course, creating a culture that recognizes employees is ultimately the responsibility of senior management; but I can’t help but think that the managers that work directly with the employees have the most leverage and opportunity to recognize staff directly. Simply put; employees want recognition from their managers.

I once implemented an amazing concept, a ground-breaking idea, and an enormous leap for our organization: ready for it….it was a recognition ceremony. It was something we had never done in that particular organization. We were already gathering the staff to present yet another cash award to a sales rep and I thought it would be a great opportunity to have one individual from each department be recognized in front of their peers. The cost was minimal: the forum was already set; the awards themselves were created internally and personalized with three specific achievements for each employee. For an added touch, they were autographed by the manager and the CEO and then framed.

I know, I know; it’s hard to believe I’m in HR and not rocket science.

What was astonishing to me, was what happened in the planning stages. For the most part, it was an amazing revelation for most managers and they were completely onside with the concept but there were managers that didn’t think it was a good idea to recognize their staff. Yes, that’s what I said. Not a good idea to recognize their staff. The very people that make them look good.

These particular managers claimed two things:

1) that their staff did not want to be publicly recognized and it would be embarrassing for them to accept an award in front of their peers

2) and that recognizing only one employee in each department showed extreme favouritism

Then it came to me. We, as senior managers create and cultivate the environment in which we work. Recognition and appreciation is not something that comes from HR, it stems from the culture. In an environment where recognition is not part of the culture, it really is non existent; the employees don’t expect it and the managers don’t give it or generalize about it. “Thanks for all your hard work”. When you don’t feel valued, even as a manager, what generally happens? As HR professionals, we all know the answer to that question. We must walk the talk; recognize our own managers and create the desired environment.

The end result of my story? A simple recognition ceremony had a significant impact on the people of the organization. Almost instantly, even if only for the moment, morale increased. Employees were overjoyed that we recognized individual contributors; people who deserved it and made a difference. There was no jealousy or embarrassment. There were only feelings of appreciation.

I guess my point is simple; appreciation goes a long way. Consider a personal thank you over an email, build a recognition and reward strategy that works for your employees and your culture but most importantly, bring some real value to the organization by walking the talk. If you don’t demonstrate an atmosphere of encouragement and appreciation reinforcing desired behaviours, how do you expect your managers to?

Be the freakin’ change people!

Ruth Estwick is a Human Resources Manager currently holding a dual role in HR and Operations for Metro, the world’s largest global newspaper. Having transitioned from Operations and Administrative Management, Ruth has found her calling in HR. She hopes to focus her HR career on culture development and organizational change.

Ruth is a member of the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) and is currently working towards her Canadian Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP). A senior manager, a part time student and a proud mother of 3, including a child with TGA (a congenital heart defect), Ruth is active in raising awareness of Congenital Heart Defects.

She tweets as @HRstalker