What is the purpose of employee recognition programs? What do some of these programs entail?
Regarding employee recognition, Philip B. Crosby in his book Quality is Free said, “Genuine recognition of performance is something people really appreciate. People really don’t work for money. They go to work for it, but once the salary has been established, their concern is appreciation. Recognize their contribution publicly and noisily, but don’t demean them by applying a price tag to everything.” Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, may have put it even more succinctly: “There are two things that people want more than sex and money, and those are recognition and praise.” Based on my 30 years of human resources experience, both of these statements correctly highlight the real purpose of employee recognition programs: identify those activities that employees do that move the company forward, recognize these activities positively and publicly and encourage them to repeat these activities plus more. What do recognition programs entail? The key to a successful recognition pr
