Q4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for
doing good work.

**Summary**

-   Acknowledge employees' efforts in performance reviews.

-   Never fail to say \"thank you\" for a job well done.

-   Applaud the efforts of their employees, even when those efforts are
    not successful.

-   Always strive to do what is right by employees.

-   Recognize employees regularly.

-   Know how employees like to be recognized.

-   Catch people doing things right.

**Key Findings**

*\"I think anybody coming to ask your opinion on something is
recognition for me. If you value my opinion enough to ask what I think
about something, I feel great.\"*

Recognition is important. According to Gallup's research, managers who
excelled in this question use forms of recognition that are specific,
predictable, frequent, and instantaneous. They are known to promote a
recognition-rich environment with praise coming from every direction,
and know how their people like to be recognized.

As one FSA employee said: \"I think most people tend to define
themselves in terms of other people\'s reactions to them and certainly
the workplace is a major source of identity, particularly in our
society.\" Traditionally in government, employees have been recognized
and rewarded through cash reward programs.

Gallup discovered managers who, through one-on-one discussions, have
learned from their direct reports how they prefer to be motivated. Best
practice managers make recognition a key part of their daily roles,
reacting to positive efforts and setting an example of sincere and
meaningful encouragement.

In summarizing responses to this question, we found that great managers
in FSA: 1) never fail to say \"thank you\" for a job well done, 2)
applaud the efforts of their employees, even when those efforts are not
successful, and 3) always strive to do what is right by their employees.

Different ways of recognizing employees were discussed in the
interviews. One of the managers personally visits all of her offices and
makes a point of talking to everyone about their progress. Employee
recognition lunches are used on a regular basis. Award ceremonies, ad
hoc meetings, and the assignment of employees to \"hot\" projects are
forms of recognition. Even a simple pat on the back can sometimes make
an employee feel better or more motivated. We discovered that it is also
important to realize that some employees may prefer to receive
recognition in public, while others prefer to receive it in a more
private setting. One manager put it this way: \"Some employees, if it
ain\'t cash, it ain\'t nothing. Other employees, nothing makes them
happier than to put them up on a stage and applaud them in front of
their peers and then you\'ve got people who would die before they let
you put \[them up there\]. So, it\'s kind of a different spin on it.\"

Managers are more likely to recognize superior accomplishments if
specific work duties are documented and cited, rather than just generic
descriptions. FSA employees want their supervisors to have a better
understanding and appreciation of their daily work duties. Therefore,
development of specific performance plans and position descriptions are
important.

While the normal avenues of recognition should be used when appropriate,
managers identify other ways to regularly recognize achievements: small
gestures or a simple 'thank you' for any job well done can go a long
way. And meaningful recognition does not just come from one manager. It
can come from fellow team members or from internal or external clients.
One employee of a top-performing FSA group noted that: \"\[Recognition
comes\] from everyone, it's not just coming from the supervisors,
managers on down, it's everyone's responsibility.\" Appreciation for a
job well done can be delivered verbally, or in an e-mail, or on a
Post-It note, for example. Great managers provide some
\"detail/specifics\" along with the thank you to show that they truly
understand and recognize the accomplishment and the effort required.
This shows employees (whether they are subordinates or peers) that their
work has value, is of high quality and is appreciated.

Another means of recognition used by FSA managers is to give employees
greater responsibility and higher profile projects. Managers are aware
that this additional responsibility has to be carefully balanced to
avoid inequitably overburdening top-notch employees.

Managers who excel in providing recognition use forms of recognition
that are specific, predictable, frequent, and instantaneous. They are
known to promote a recognition-rich environment with praise coming from
every direction, and know how their people like to be recognized. Many
wonder how often people should be praised, but a good rule of thumb is
about once a week. To some this may seem excessive, but the best
managers know that timely and appropriate praise and recognition that
rewards the individual's actions or behaviors will encourage the
associate to repeat those actions or behaviors again and again.

**Relevant Quotes From FSA Interviews**

If I get an e-mail that\'s about some kind of positive remark, I archive
it and when I\'m having a bad day, I hit my archives. I\'m like why am I
here, you know? Then I go through and I say this is why, you know, and I
think of the successes that I\'ve had and that really keeps me going.

It\'s formal recognition, (inaudible words) doing a good job or a cash
bonus or things like that. But it\'s also the daily things, someone just
saying thank you.

I try to do, you know, at least one really special, some type of
appreciation thing each year and we\'ve done it many different ways. One
week, and I can\'t even remember what week it is I found on the Internet
that this was employee appreciation week so we planned it and we did
something different for every day of that week. We gave teamwork medals,
we gave little cards that you can lay on your desk that had
inspirational quotes on them, you know, we did something different every
day just to remind them how much that we appreciate them and I\'m a
person that doesn\'t really count myself successful, I count my people
successful, I can\'t do anything without what, the success comes from
them and my role is to provide them with the tools or the inspiration or
the listening or whatever needs they might need to get their job done
because I\'m just like a spoke in the wheel that is there to hold it up
and I\'m not the one that\'s going to make the final action that makes
it happen.

Just some kind of communication from, particularly from the bosses,
letting you know that they appreciate what you\'ve done.

The other thing though is that we did recognize the fact that it\'s
coming from everyone, it\'s not just coming from the supervisors,
managers on down, it\'s everyone has that responsibility and we feel
that if the person deserves it, and that\'s a big if, you know, you do
your punch card routine for the day, you know, that\'s great, you know,
thank you and let\'s move on and, but if you go out of your way and you
do something special, you do need to be told that and it has to come
with some sincerity.

Monetary and time off awards but those, I don\'t consider those the best
or biggest. The biggest recognition I think we receive, I receive anyway
is one day in a staff meeting (Name) mentioned that he could count on us
to do whatever, you know, when push comes to shove, he knew he could
count on us to get the job done. And to me that was the biggest
recognition that I\'ve been given here.

I want to make sure they know that I\'m very interested in the job
they\'re doing and how well they\'re doing it and I make it my job to
know how well they\'re doing and pat them on the back when they do good
and bring them in and talk to them.

You know, some employees, you know, if it ain\'t cash, it ain\'t
nothing. Other employees, you know, nothing makes them happier than to
put them up on a stage and, you know, applaud them in front of their
peers and then you\'ve got people who would die before, you know, they
let you put, you know, so, it\'s kind of a different spin on it.

I think anybody coming to ask your opinion on something is recognition
for me. If you value my opinion enough to ask, you know, what I think
about something, I feel great.

E-mail has brought, I think, a lot of extra thank you\'s. Sometimes
people might not pick up the telephone but they\'ll send an e-mail.

When I feel satisfied that I\'ve done the best job that I can do. I
don\'t really need for anybody else to tell me one way or another their
opinion (inaudible words) but if I\'m satisfied that I\'ve done the best
job that I can do or best product that I can produce, then I\'m
satisfied and I feel good about that.

I define recognition when, if someone lets you know or they show that
they appreciate what you\'ve done. It may not be in the form of an
award, it may not be in the form of putting your name on a board saying
I appreciate it, it just may be in the form of sending a person a simple
e-mail like for example I worked with (Name) on an (Personal Descriptor)
agreement, he stuck a little sticky on my computer and, I appreciate all
your help, it really helped me a lot. I saved that sticky. That meant a
lot to me. It brightened my day when I came back in the next morning and
saw that sticky on my computer. He didn\'t come to me face to face, he
just left a little sticky on my computer because he acknowledged what I
did and he acknowledged that what I did made a difference in his
finished product. Some people don\'t get the acknowledgement for your
help. Your assistance or whatever you did. Just acknowledge that I\'ve
done, what I\'ve done and, you know, and appreciate it.

Awards and recognition are great but overall I think it\'s the way our
writers value our work that makes me feel the most proud of the group.

For me it was being selected to the current position that I occupy. That
was the ultimate recognition for me because I think it validated my
career decisions and validated confidence that the organization has in
me.

You see the difference when you\'re appreciated, you know, when you\'re
in a wasteland and when you\'re working and using your talent, that is
enough for the most part recognition, appreciation, it really is. It
really is. It makes a huge difference in how the work you do day in and
day out is looked at.

I think knowing that my supervisors have appreciated the work that I\'ve
done and have said so and probably the fact that they are supportive and
trusting, that probably has been one of the highest forms of recognition
that I think I have received. I mean it\'s been nice, I mean I\'ve been
the recipient of, you know, (Personal descriptor) but I think again
knowing that your first line supervisor appreciates what you do says a
lot for me.

An award that an old boss of mine got was the best award for me because
he got up in front of everybody and said that he didn\'t deserve it, I
did.

To me that ongoing positive feedback is when someone that depends on you
for your work, you know, it could be your immediate boss or his boss or
someone that\'s very dependent on you for your work says thank you, I
really appreciate that and that\'s exactly what I needed, you know,
thank you for saving my hide this time or, you know, and just the
personal feedback I think is important

When (Name) give the award, he didn\'t just, you know, how you get
everybody in a circle and you hand out your award and you say oh thank
you, you know, and all that but (Name) said in front of everybody why I
got it and said nice things about me. It was a little embarrassing
because I was like oh gosh, but it was nice and I walked away from that
feeling good about that. And that was important. The words are very
important.

Not only do we get unsolicited positive feedback on what we do, as
(Name) has mentioned, we do share those sorts of comments among
ourselves and then in addition to that, I do enjoy rewarding verbally as
well as with time off and on the financial side also for good work that
my employees do.

**Development Questions**

**Managers:**

What kinds of recognition and praise do you use/how much/when?

How do your people like to be recognized?

When have you devised unique praise and recognition for different
individuals?

**Employees:**

What kinds of recognition do you use?

Think about your time at FSA and think about the best praise you have
received, in any form, do your managers do a good job of catching you
doing things right?

Do you get praise and recognition from co-workers, other managers?

What do you think is the very best recognition at FSA?

**Development Guide Tips:**

1). Make recognition specific, predictable and instant

2). Promote a recognition rich environment with praise coming from every
direction

3). Individualize -- know how your people like to be recognized