JANUARY 07

Don’t pick the wrong carrot.

GETTING AWARDS RIGHT

To have the intended effect, a reward’s value should be an appropriate symbol of the employee’s effort and its outcome. After all, we all know that winning a million-dollar contract deserves more than a T-shirt or key chain, right?

Apparently not.

When she was first out of college, recognition consultant Kathe Farris began working for a bank. She started near the bottom of the corporate ladder, answering phones. During a promotion to cross-sell mutual funds, she was able to bring a whopping $1.2 million into the bank.

“So what did they give me?” asks Kathe. She scoffs at her own answer. “A mug.” Kathe shakes her head incredulously: “A mug,” she repeats. “Do you think I—or anyone else who worked around me—ever sold mutual funds again? Of course not.”

When choosing an award, be aware of its symbolic value. In some cases, a mug is appropriate. In others, it is absolutely not.

REMEMBER: 

There are a lot of onions out there masquerading as carrots. And a thoughtless award can leave a bad taste in an employee’s mouth.