SEPTEMBER 09

Trying to find a way to keep your top employees?

IT’S JUST DOWN THE HALL

Cynthia Stotlar, president of the Society for Human Resource Management, tells the story of a manager within a hospital plagued by 60 percent turnover company wide. Except in the laundry. The manager there reported just 5 percent turnover.

His employees worked a hot, difficult job for just above minimum wage. How did he do it? Recognition. He built a “Hall of Fame.” Each time an employee went above and beyond, he put up an 8×10 glossy of the employee, along with a paragraph telling what they did to earn the award.

Similar success stories follow managers’ conversions to recognition. Their employees’ performance skyrockets, and the process is never ending. It has a viruslike effect on an organization. As managers’ expectations of employees rise and recognition of their work follows, so does employee performance.

(Want to really clean up around the office? The key is recognition.)