MINES Newsletter

Source: Epotech. (2001). Praising Employees. Retrieved April 19, 2005, from the Epotech database. Printer-friendly version Newsletter back issues

Basics

"Praising all alike, is praising none."
- John Gay, 18th-century English poet and playwright

You work hard and then submit an excellent report, but all your boss says is, "I got it."

No one likes a boss who takes employees for granted. Even a good salary doesn't make up for a total lack of appreciation or praise. And hollow praise can be worse than no praise. Managers who effectively motivate people with praise know the difference between sweet talk and demonstrating honest appreciation.

Effective praise tells employees what they're doing right and encourages them to keep doing it. That's why some consider praise superior to punishment as a teaching tool. Praise is loaded with information: It tells you exactly what to do next time. Punishment has a lot less information: It only tells you what not to do.

Praise comes in several shades, ranging from recognizing a solid performance to commending an extraordinary job. Use it appropriately. Don't lavish praise on someone who efficiently performs a routine assignment, but don't fail to recognize her either. Don't substitute flowery words for other forms of reward for a truly exceptional performance. Above all, mean it when you praise someone.

Make sure everyone gets credit in a team effort. Few things are worse than a manager who ignores an assignment until his team succeeds, then takes all the credit. Always stress the contributions of each member of the team.

The ability to credit others for their efforts is widely recognized as a trait of a top-flight manager. Don't be afraid that your supervisors won't appreciate you if you tell them what a great job your employees have done. The ability to enable others to get the job done is what makes a great manager.

Key Tips

Key Tip 1

Be generous with praise, but only when it's sincere. False praise is repulsive. So say enough about what the employee did to show that you really understand - and say it convincingly.

Key Tip 2

Don't forget to recognize people who do satisfactory jobs. Anyone who carries out the responsibilities delegated to them contributes to your success. Recognize good work even if it involves routine tasks.

Key Tip 3

Employees' responses to praise will vary, based on their past experiences and perceptions of you. Although you should follow our guidelines, understand that each time you use praise you're conducting an experiment of sorts. Use the results to pick those approaches that are most effective, and change your style if it's not working.

Specifics

Benefits of Praising

• Increased enthusiasm
• Improved communication
• Less wasted time and material
• Decreased turnover
• Increased quality
• Improved morale
• Increased loyalty
• Less conflict

Possible Risks of Praising

Some experts point out the negatives of praising, saying that it has limited value in some instances:

• Praise implies an evaluation, creating unintended stress for the person who's praised
• Praise emphasizes the difference in status between the supervisor and the employee (I can evaluate you, but you can't evaluate me)
• Praise is often a prelude to criticism, because some use it to sugar-coat criticism in a so-called praise sandwich (praise, blame, praise)
• Praise might hurt employees' motivation to perform if they become dependent on it

Effective Praise

Many of the risks of using praise can be countered by a simple strategy: Mean what you say.

• Respect for an employee should be the foundation for any praise. This includes
  soliciting employee input for recognition programs.
• Be honest and sincere. Don't manipulate employees and their feelings.
• Separate praise from reprimands and criticism, so it doesn't seem like sugarcoating.
• Praising should be used in conjunction with empathetic listening, involvement in the work, and attention to the concerns of the employee. It should open dialogue that leads to improvement.
• Supervisors should consider giving employees opportunities to give feedback on the supervisor's performance as a matter of equity.
• Be cautious when praise could be interpreted as turning up the pressure, such as during projects with tight deadlines.
• Unless you can alter your recipe to make it palatable, don't persist in praising people who don't like it.

Recognizing the Little Things

It's easy to overlook the value in recognizing people for simply doing their jobs well. Don't take these people for granted:

• Employees who are on time
• Employees who are friendly to customers
• Employees who improve their quality of work (fewer errors)
• Employees who improve their quantity of work (more productive

FAQs

I'm uncomfortable praising employees. Why should I have to praise them? Isn't their salary praise enough?

In a word - no! It's not enough. Employees don't live by salary alone. Personal acknowledgment, such as praise, recognition and granting greater autonomy, is an important part of job satisfaction.

Maybe you should examine your own feelings about praise. People who are uncomfortable giving praise often have problems accepting praise due to past experiences that make them distrust it. This devaluation of praise can become an unconscious barrier to its effective use.

I think I'm using praise effectively, except with one employee. Every time I praise this person, the employee productivity and work quality immediately decrease. What should I do?

Stop praising the employee. Your praise is actually punishing them. Perhaps the employee doesn't trust verbal praise or holds a grudge against you. You may never know, but try other ways to express recognition. If all else fails, ask their opinion on how best to show appreciation for a job well done.

I recently started an annual program where I recognize high performing employees and praise them publicly for their achievements. Performance seems to increase right before the meeting and for a week or so after, but then it levels out quickly. What am I doing wrong?

The pattern you describe is typical for this kind of periodic praising. Technically it's called a "fixed interval schedule" - employees only get praised or rewarded at a particular time (once a year). This isn't the most effective schedule for sustaining high performance - who worries about Santa Claus in July? Frequency, rather than magnitude, of praise is most important. Increase the amount of praise and vary how and when you do it. This may not be as dramatic as an annual event, but it will be more effective.

Resources

Books

Farson, Richard, Management of the Absurd. Simon & Schuster, 1996.
Kohn, Alfie, Punished by Rewards. Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
Nelson, Bob, 1001 Ways to Energize Your Employees. Workman, 1997.
Nelson, Bob and Kenneth Blanchard, 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. Workman, 1994.
Ganz, Barbara A., Care Packages for the Workplace: Dozens of Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit at Work. McGraw-Hill, 1996.
Blanchard, Kenneth and Spencer Johnson, The One Minute Manager. Berkley, 1993.
Good, Sharon, Managing with a Heart: 100+ Ways to Make Your Employees Feel Appreciated. Excalibur, 1995.

Web Sites:

The American Management Association International's home page: www.amanet.org.
Nelson Motivation, Inc. offers articles at: www.nelson-motivation.com/resources.cfm
An article titled "Praising Managers Who Praise" is at:
realtimes.lycos.com/rtnews/rtapages/19980313_managers.htm

About MINES & Associates

For over 25 years MINES & Associates has been a nationally recognized business psychology firm that provides a variety of services to corporate employers including employee assistance programs (EAP), managed mental healthcare, organizational development and psychology services, wellness programs, behavioral risk management, disease management, PPO services, and a number of other technology based services. MINES & Associates is divided into two main divisions, Organizational Psychology and Health Psychology, and currently serves a diverse portfolio of clients in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and the UK.

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