JANUARY 29

A tune-up could make your employee-recognition program purr.

(Not to mention your employees.)

VROOM! VROOM!

Is it time to rework your employee recognition system? Then you’ll appreciate this tool.

In 1964, researcher Victor Vroom proposed that employees are motivated to work toward rewards that (1) they want and (2) they believe they have a realistic chance of obtaining. Based on this “Expectancy Theory,” Vroom suggested that when designing reward systems leaders should:

• Make a clear connection between performance and outcome.

• Develop flexible reward systems that provide a variety of potentially attractive outcomes.

• Determine what rewards the employee values.

• Ensure that employees receive appropriate training and have the ability to perform the job successfully.

Take a few moments to evaluate how well your current recognition program meets these criteria. A few critical adjustments could have employee performance going from zero to incredible in no time at all.