Let's Get Ethical

Welcome Crewhu-ers to this week’s edition of… drum roll…. THE WEEKLY WIN! Brought to you by me (AKA Ashley)! 

This week we will start the conversation surrounding Ethics when implementing and maintaining an Employee Recognition Program. 

As a reminder, here are a few tips when starting your employee recognition program: 

1. 1. Determine your “why”. Implementing a well-rounded Recognition Program requires thought and planning. Define the purpose and goals of the program. PRO TIP: It is best to align the program with the company’s values and mission. 
   2. Involve your Crew. Including your crew in the development and implementation of the program will create buy-in. 
   3. Create a budget. Most programs fall short when the budget is not planned in advance. Allocating resources and ensuring sustainability is a key component. 
   4. Identify Recognition Methods. How are you going to reward your crew? Examples include: gift cards, extra time off, a pie to your manager's face, etc. 
   5. Promote a culture of appreciation. Start to talk about this program to your employees. Let them know what you plan to achieve by implementing an employee recognition program. Once implemented, lead by example - find every reason to recognize and reward your employees! 
   6. Ensure fairness and consistency. Set clear criteria for recognition to avoid bias & perceived favoritism. Write out an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) that provides guidelines for the program. 
   7. Implement. 
   8. Track & Measure. Meet with your crew quarterly to review the program performance. Do not be scared to make adjustments to the program. Continuously improving the recognition program to keep it relevant and effective. 

Also… here is this BADASS Workbook that you can use to help you navigate implementing a BADASS Recognition Program. 

What we are going to focus on this week is step 6: Ensure fairness & consistency. I cannot stress this enough: write out your expectations for the program and how you expect your staff to use and engage with the program. If you are not setting clear expectations, you are setting the program up for people to abuse the privileges given to them. 

So what steps can we take? Glad you asked! 

DEFINE Write an SOP. Establish specific and transparent criteria for recognition. For example: When you are giving a Badge, add specific information to reference a ticket or situation that lends to the badge being rewarded. Clear communication is KEY. 

NOTE: Badges usually reflect core values or specific behaviors. 

EQUAL ACCESS It’s important to ensure that all employees have access to the program regardless of their role, department, or seniority. 

TIMELY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Recognizing employees promptly after they have demonstrated an achievement helps reinforce positive performance not only to the employee but with the program as well. Leading by example will also reinforce how recognition should be given. 

PEER-TO-PEER RECOGNITION Have a little fun; sometimes it’s ok to have the “silly” badges - these types of badges help promote healthy peer-to-peer engagement. 

PERFORMANCE-BASED REWARDS Rewarding your staff for the metrics that matter will reduce the potential of people abusing the recognition program. Have the KPIs clearly defined and written out so that your crew understands the expectations and how they can be rewarded for their hard work! The writing is compelling and well-organized. However, to make it more engaging, one idea could be adding personal anecdotes or examples of successful recognition programs. Another idea could be to include some statistics or research on the benefits of employee recognition programs to emphasize their importance further.

Remember, recognition should be sincere and not used as a tool for undue influence. During the implementation process, it is important to consider the ethical impact the program can have on your environment. 

So… why is this The Weekly Win?! Understanding how you plan to manage the program once it is implemented in your organization is important. It is easy to think that your staff would never abuse the program, but if you do not consider the ethics behind it, you will create the opposite effect of a positive culture. Not BADASS. Planning, transparency, and consistency is a WIN in any culture! 

This is just the beginning to the ethics conversation. I want to know your thoughts. Drop me a line on LinkedIn, shoot me an email, or send me a DM (I think that means Direct Message) if you want to be hip! 

Tune in next week as we are talking about CSAT! 

Stay BADASS.