6 Ways to Really Screw Up Recognition (Guest Post)

by Darcy Jacobsen

A short while back, Matt wrote a terrific blog post over at Globoforce on how to make your company values sticky. As the saying goes, “no good deed goes unpunished.” So we’re reciprocating by giving his audience (you) six sure-fire ways to screw up recognition.

So with that said, here are six ways you can really louse up your business results, lose your best employees and demoralize the rest of your workforce—all in the name of recognition:

1. Run Multiple Inconsistent Recognition Programs

If you really want to cripple yourself out of the gate, make sure you hold onto every legacy “employee of the month parking spot” program and every random department-only perk. Whatever you do, do not create a single, centrally-managed, global program that is accessible to all employees, in all departments, everywhere in your organization and everywhere in the world. A universal program with a single focus and brand will cut costs and connect your entire workforce around common values and business objectives. It will also be measurable and manageable, which is sure to spell dreaded success.