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Fact or Fiction

Fiction!

It is only the Tom Turkey that makes the "gobble" sound we associate with turkeys. Happy Thanksgiving – gobble gobble! – to you and your family from everyone at Astron Solutions!

Giving Thanks to Our Top Performers

Spot a Top Performer!

Sometimes controversial Jack Welch, the Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) from 1981 to 2001 stated, “Failing to differentiate among employees, and holding on to bottom-tier performers—is actually the cruelest form of management there is.” This statement demonstrates for us the importance of making sure we recognize our shining team workers. Many organizations fail to acknowledge star performers because they lack an appraisal system. On Monster.com’s HRguru site, one article noted, “Without a formal appraisal system tied to business objectives, organizations have a narrow chance of engaging and retaining their best workers.” Simply put, an organization should make sure that they’ve invested in a sound appraisal system that meshes with the organization’s culture and targets the organization’s business objectives in order to get the best from its employees.

For example, Mr. Welch used an unorthodox method, called the “20%-70%-10%” ranking system. The 20% are the top performers. They are treated well and given much praise. The 70% are the middle performers who are encouraged to be like the 20% top performers. The 10% are the underperformers. These workers are either disciplined or removed from the organization. While many may view this method as harsh or cruel, this system apparently works well for GE’s environment. The company went from $13 billion to $550 billion under Mr. Welch’s leadership.

Astronology is not encouraging taking a no holds barred approach when creating or investing in an appraisal system. Implementing a core system will affect an entire organization’s culture. Thus, it is highly important that you take caution when implementing such a system. Thorough research and perhaps creating a committee to discuss the positives and negatives of possible systems are best practice for any organization looking for success.

And The Reward Goes To…

One upside of having top performers in an organization is being able to reward them for their hard work and dedication. Such a gesture not only motivates the worker to continue their positive attitude and quality work, but encourages non-top performers to strive to become a top performer. Balance is essential when rewarding, as “over showering” a worker can lead to thoughts of favoritism within the workplace. Perhaps throwing an office appreciation lunch which can include all workers of different levels can make everyone feel included and valued. At such a lunch, top performers could receive a certificate or some other gift during the lunch so that they are highlighted for the extraordinary work they’ve done for some time.

Some other suggestions for rewards include the following:

• Giving necessary praise: As cited on Microsoft.com, one article noted, “a recent survey of office workers nationwide, conducted by Xerox and Harris Interactive, found that employees rated more money and more recognition as almost equal motivators.” Plenty of workers just want to know that you appreciate them for their hard work. Simply saying thank you goes a long way as compared to the usual pay raise that they most likely would receive.

• The Gift of Time: This is usually helpful right around the holiday times. Workers may find themselves a little stressed out preparing for the holidays and thus, offering an extra day off, half a day of work, or even flexible scheduling could be helpful in alleviating such stress. Such a gesture also informs the worker you are concerned for their well-being. Everyone appreciate a break here and there.

• Gift Cards or tickets to cultural or sporting events: Everyone appreciates a gift card or free tickets every once in a while. Such gifts can be given on the spot, giving an instant boost of appreciation, especially if the tickets are for a worker’s favorite team or show. It demonstrates that as a leader, you have taken a personal and professional interest in them. Such interest can really bolster someone’s self-esteem.

An HR Magazine article entitled, “Reward Your Best Employees” suggested that reward programs also include a feedback feature so that rewards are given fairly and, more importantly, are appropriate to the recipient. There’s nothing worse than giving a gift that confuses or upsets the recipient. It defeats the whole purpose of giving the gift!

This Thanksgiving, there is a lot everyone can be thankful for, especially during these challenging times. Within the atmosphere of your organization, we need to make sure that we are taking time to say and show thanks to our top performers. Although it may be difficult to give such workers a big bonus due to possible financial tightening, HR leaders can give smaller, more meaningful gestures of appreciation. Taking the time to invest in a proper appraisal system helps to identify such deserving workers. Being creative in demonstrating the organization’s thankfulness for top performers’ hard work is also helpful. Most importantly, such gestures motivate the top performers to continue their hard work, and encourage other employees to strive for top performance. By giving thanks now, you will reap the larger benefit of an increase in motivated employees later – something to give thanks for next year!

Looking for a top-notch presenter for your human resource organization's meeting? Both Jennifer Loftus and Michael Maciekowich present highly-rated sessions on a variety of compensation and employee retention issues. For more information, send an e-mail to info@astronsolutions.com.

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Copyright 2009, Astron Solutions, LLC

ISSN Number 1549-0467