You go to a fancy restaurant and you are spoiled for choices. Lots of dishes sound interesting, but it’s hard to make a choice but you do… you have a good time and you come back happy… If you really liked the service and the taste you already know that you want to go back and try something else.
Most Master Chefs of a successful restaurant agree Upon one ingredient is their menu.
A Menu which has just the right number of dishes which their team can handle and yet have enough variety under different heads.
A Menu which will appeal to a varied palate of the clients they want to attract and serve every day.
A Menu with a balanced food cost versus selling price.
A Menu which ensures that the regulars keep coming back for more.
& Of course, they always throw in surprises like specials for the month or week which works as an icing on the cake, especially for regulars.
MasterChefs takes months and sometimes years to perfect their menu and yet keep adjusting it as they discover more ideas.
Just like the MasterChefs, do you have a Recognition Menu for your Team?
Why did you ask?
For the same reasons, Restaurants have A Menu.
…… A Recognition Menu will ensure that your money is well spent on recognition and people truly feel recognized.
Let’s do a deeper dive…
Right Mix
A Recognition Menu allows you to have a variety of awards which are spread through out the year and not everything is pushed to the annual award ceremony or quarterly award programs.
Also, It ensures that different award programs are driven by different team leads, departments, and groups so that everything is not with the management or the HR.
Wider Appeal
Mahima & Rahul are two different people with different motivation levels and needs. What makes them happy and recognized could also be different.
In other words, not everyone can become or I should rightly say want to become the Star Sales person or Employee of the Month. So what are we doing to motivate them? A Recognition Menu ensures that you plan for this in advance and appeal to a wider group of people.
Balanced Budget
Budgets are always far lesser than what we want, but Budgeting is essential. A Recognition Menu ensures that we don’t make adhoc decisions and find that by the middle of the year almost all funds are over.
Surprise! Surprise!
We all love surprises and our team members are no different if things become predictable it becomes boring and unnoticeable. Also, small little programs here and there can be a good testing ground to see what appeals to your audience.
For sometimes you really do need to do a ground reality check to know if it is working.
Keep Everyone in the Game
If HR is the only one driving recognition programs its a lot to ask but more importantly it’s not the most effective way to recognise. All Team leads & Departments need to play a role. The culture of recognition should be deeply embedded in everyone for then only the true transformation happens.
So you want to build your Recognition Menu…
Now comes the hard part.
It will not be easy and there is no laundry list one can get for recognition menu will be different for every organization. It depends on your culture which is unique to you, your industry, the mix of people you have, your core values, the way you operate and where you stand currently just to name a few.
Not easy but totally worth it.
A good starting point is to get a right mix of people from different departments and brainstorm on making of a recognition menu. & know in advance that it’s not something you can complete in one go so set the expectations right that it will be work in progress.
Following is a small check list which may help in getting you started & just like an ever evolving recognition menu even I keep adding back to most of my blog post as and when I get more ideas so this list will be ever evolving… Do come back…
Recognition Menu: Getting Started Check List
- What’s your current award program? Name the awards and how the winners are decided?
- Are the awards or recognition program motivating people to live and practice your company values?
- Do you have a wide variety of awards in your menu which will appeal to a wider audience?
- Are the recognition programs spread throughout the year?
- Have You Included Peer to Peer Awards?
- Have you allocated some budget to informal recognition?
- Have you included some Fun awards?
- How will people know Why? & How Behind the Award? Why this award is instituted and How they can Win it.
- Are their enough opportunities for different types of people to win/participate in the recognition program.
