Rewarding Employees

A survey by the Council of Communications Management confirms what any good human resources manager knows: Recognition of a job performed well, not money, is the best motivator of employee performance.

Unfortunately, most physicians do not seem to understand or apply this basic business concept. This is despite the fact that doctors themselves said, in a separate survey, that they much prefer to practice in offices and clinics where their hard work is recognized and rewarded.

In “1001 Ways to Reward Employees” (New York: Workman Publishing, 1994), Bob Nelson said, “While money is important to employees, what tends to motivate them to perform—and to perform at higher levels—is the thoughtful, personal kind of recognition that signifies true appreciation for a job well done.”

Too often, a physician or a boss's idea of a reward is a yearly cash bonus, usually given during the holiday season. But giving the same reward to everyone at the same time every year—often called “jelly bean motivation” by consultants—not only does not inspire employees to work harder and better, but on the contrary, can actually serve as a disincentive to excellent employees who see no appreciation or acknowledgement of their beyond-the-call performance. Even the most mediocre employees don't see it as a reward. Rather, the bonus becomes an entitlement—just an expected, meaningless component of their normal compensation.

Nelson lists three simple guidelines for effectively rewarding employees:

▸ Match the reward to the individual. Reward each person in ways that each individual employee finds rewarding.

▸ Match the reward to the achievement. An employee who successfully completes a 2-year-long medical records reorganization deserves a more substantial reward than does one who simply runs an errand for you.

▸ Be timely and specific. To be effective, rewards must be given as soon as possible after a specific laudable behavior or achievement, and the employee should always be told why he or she is receiving it. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that rewards that come weeks or months after the fact, and those that seem to be given for no particular reason, do little or nothing to accomplish their desired effect.

So how do you know which rewards your employees will find rewarding? That's easy: Ask them!

I periodically solicit suggestions for nonmonetary rewards from my staff. “I can't give you money,” I tell them, “but I'll consider just about anything else.”

Some of their ideas have been surprisingly creative—and surprisingly cheap. For example, my employees are required to park their cars each day on the other side of the hospital campus from my office building. One of them suggested that a closer parking space would be a good reward. I was able to obtain an extra access card for the doctors' lot right next to my building, and each month one “Employee of the Month” gets to park there. This reward, which costs me nothing, has become the most sought-after in our office.

In fact, there are many effective rewards that cost little or nothing. As Nelson puts it, “A sincere word of thanks from the right person at the right time can mean more to an employee than a raise, a formal award, or a whole wall of certificates or plaques.”

One of the strongest motivators imaginable is the knowledge that you, as the boss, will take a moment to notice a job well done and praise it publicly, in a timely manner.

Time off is another powerful motivator, which surveys show is almost universally popular among employees of all types.

According to Michael LeBoeuf, author of “The Greatest Management Principle in the World” (New York: Putnam, 1985), there are three ways you can use time off as a reward:

▸ If the job permits it, assign a deadline and minimum quality standard to a task. If the task is finished ahead of the deadline, the extra time is the employee's reward.

▸ If allowing employees to leave early is impractical, specify an amount of work you want done by a certain time. If the work is completed on time and satisfactorily, give a predetermined amount of time off as the reward. You can also set up a scoring system in which employees earn an hour off for a specified period of productive work. When they have earned 4 hours they can have a half day off, and 8 hours earns a day off, and so on.

▸ Award time off for improvements in quality, safety, teamwork, or any other behavior you feel is important.

By the way, LeBoeuf's “greatest management principle” is that “the things that get rewarded get done.”

Whatever rewards you choose, monetary or otherwise, always be sure to choose them and award them with sincerity. Cheap wall plaques, lapel pins, and other tchotchkes usually fail to motivate employees in the intended way because they come across as being empty gestures given out in a thoughtless manner. On the other hand, a few very simple and honest words of thanks go much further.

A survey by the Council of Communications Management confirms what any good human resources manager knows: Recognition of a job performed well, not money, is the best motivator of employee performance.

Unfortunately, most physicians do not seem to understand or apply this basic business concept. This is despite the fact that doctors themselves said, in a separate survey, that they much prefer to practice in offices and clinics where their hard work is recognized and rewarded.

In “1001 Ways to Reward Employees” (New York: Workman Publishing, 1994), Bob Nelson said, “While money is important to employees, what tends to motivate them to perform—and to perform at higher levels—is the thoughtful, personal kind of recognition that signifies true appreciation for a job well done.”

Too often, a physician or a boss's idea of a reward is a yearly cash bonus, usually given during the holiday season. But giving the same reward to everyone at the same time every year—often called “jelly bean motivation” by consultants—not only does not inspire employees to work harder and better, but on the contrary, can actually serve as a disincentive to excellent employees who see no appreciation or acknowledgement of their beyond-the-call performance. Even the most mediocre employees don't see it as a reward. Rather, the bonus becomes an entitlement—just an expected, meaningless component of their normal compensation.

Nelson lists three simple guidelines for effectively rewarding employees:

▸ Match the reward to the individual. Reward each person in ways that each individual employee finds rewarding.

▸ Match the reward to the achievement. An employee who successfully completes a 2-year-long medical records reorganization deserves a more substantial reward than does one who simply runs an errand for you.

▸ Be timely and specific. To be effective, rewards must be given as soon as possible after a specific laudable behavior or achievement, and the employee should always be told why he or she is receiving it. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that rewards that come weeks or months after the fact, and those that seem to be given for no particular reason, do little or nothing to accomplish their desired effect.

So how do you know which rewards your employees will find rewarding? That's easy: Ask them!

I periodically solicit suggestions for nonmonetary rewards from my staff. “I can't give you money,” I tell them, “but I'll consider just about anything else.”

Some of their ideas have been surprisingly creative—and surprisingly cheap. For example, my employees are required to park their cars each day on the other side of the hospital campus from my office building. One of them suggested that a closer parking space would be a good reward. I was able to obtain an extra access card for the doctors' lot right next to my building, and each month one “Employee of the Month” gets to park there. This reward, which costs me nothing, has become the most sought-after in our office.

In fact, there are many effective rewards that cost little or nothing. As Nelson puts it, “A sincere word of thanks from the right person at the right time can mean more to an employee than a raise, a formal award, or a whole wall of certificates or plaques.”

One of the strongest motivators imaginable is the knowledge that you, as the boss, will take a moment to notice a job well done and praise it publicly, in a timely manner.

Time off is another powerful motivator, which surveys show is almost universally popular among employees of all types.

According to Michael LeBoeuf, author of “The Greatest Management Principle in the World” (New York: Putnam, 1985), there are three ways you can use time off as a reward:

▸ If the job permits it, assign a deadline and minimum quality standard to a task. If the task is finished ahead of the deadline, the extra time is the employee's reward.

▸ If allowing employees to leave early is impractical, specify an amount of work you want done by a certain time. If the work is completed on time and satisfactorily, give a predetermined amount of time off as the reward. You can also set up a scoring system in which employees earn an hour off for a specified period of productive work. When they have earned 4 hours they can have a half day off, and 8 hours earns a day off, and so on.

▸ Award time off for improvements in quality, safety, teamwork, or any other behavior you feel is important.

By the way, LeBoeuf's “greatest management principle” is that “the things that get rewarded get done.”

Whatever rewards you choose, monetary or otherwise, always be sure to choose them and award them with sincerity. Cheap wall plaques, lapel pins, and other tchotchkes usually fail to motivate employees in the intended way because they come across as being empty gestures given out in a thoughtless manner. On the other hand, a few very simple and honest words of thanks go much further.

A survey by the Council of Communications Management confirms what any good human resources manager knows: Recognition of a job performed well, not money, is the best motivator of employee performance.

Unfortunately, most physicians do not seem to understand or apply this basic business concept. This is despite the fact that doctors themselves said, in a separate survey, that they much prefer to practice in offices and clinics where their hard work is recognized and rewarded.

In “1001 Ways to Reward Employees” (New York: Workman Publishing, 1994), Bob Nelson said, “While money is important to employees, what tends to motivate them to perform—and to perform at higher levels—is the thoughtful, personal kind of recognition that signifies true appreciation for a job well done.”

Too often, a physician or a boss's idea of a reward is a yearly cash bonus, usually given during the holiday season. But giving the same reward to everyone at the same time every year—often called “jelly bean motivation” by consultants—not only does not inspire employees to work harder and better, but on the contrary, can actually serve as a disincentive to excellent employees who see no appreciation or acknowledgement of their beyond-the-call performance. Even the most mediocre employees don't see it as a reward. Rather, the bonus becomes an entitlement—just an expected, meaningless component of their normal compensation.

Nelson lists three simple guidelines for effectively rewarding employees:

▸ Match the reward to the individual. Reward each person in ways that each individual employee finds rewarding.

▸ Match the reward to the achievement. An employee who successfully completes a 2-year-long medical records reorganization deserves a more substantial reward than does one who simply runs an errand for you.

▸ Be timely and specific. To be effective, rewards must be given as soon as possible after a specific laudable behavior or achievement, and the employee should always be told why he or she is receiving it. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that rewards that come weeks or months after the fact, and those that seem to be given for no particular reason, do little or nothing to accomplish their desired effect.

So how do you know which rewards your employees will find rewarding? That's easy: Ask them!

I periodically solicit suggestions for nonmonetary rewards from my staff. “I can't give you money,” I tell them, “but I'll consider just about anything else.”

Some of their ideas have been surprisingly creative—and surprisingly cheap. For example, my employees are required to park their cars each day on the other side of the hospital campus from my office building. One of them suggested that a closer parking space would be a good reward. I was able to obtain an extra access card for the doctors' lot right next to my building, and each month one “Employee of the Month” gets to park there. This reward, which costs me nothing, has become the most sought-after in our office.

In fact, there are many effective rewards that cost little or nothing. As Nelson puts it, “A sincere word of thanks from the right person at the right time can mean more to an employee than a raise, a formal award, or a whole wall of certificates or plaques.”

One of the strongest motivators imaginable is the knowledge that you, as the boss, will take a moment to notice a job well done and praise it publicly, in a timely manner.

Time off is another powerful motivator, which surveys show is almost universally popular among employees of all types.

According to Michael LeBoeuf, author of “The Greatest Management Principle in the World” (New York: Putnam, 1985), there are three ways you can use time off as a reward:

▸ If the job permits it, assign a deadline and minimum quality standard to a task. If the task is finished ahead of the deadline, the extra time is the employee's reward.

▸ If allowing employees to leave early is impractical, specify an amount of work you want done by a certain time. If the work is completed on time and satisfactorily, give a predetermined amount of time off as the reward. You can also set up a scoring system in which employees earn an hour off for a specified period of productive work. When they have earned 4 hours they can have a half day off, and 8 hours earns a day off, and so on.

▸ Award time off for improvements in quality, safety, teamwork, or any other behavior you feel is important.

By the way, LeBoeuf's “greatest management principle” is that “the things that get rewarded get done.”

Whatever rewards you choose, monetary or otherwise, always be sure to choose them and award them with sincerity. Cheap wall plaques, lapel pins, and other tchotchkes usually fail to motivate employees in the intended way because they come across as being empty gestures given out in a thoughtless manner. On the other hand, a few very simple and honest words of thanks go much further.