HR
Driving a Culture of Recognition, Acknowledgement and Reward for Excellence By Chedza Balopi - Head, People and Culture, Stanbic Bank Botswana
A
nyone well versed in the discipline of People and Culture, Human Resources or Human Capital will tell you that the importance of the mere act of recognition and acknowledgement for a job well done is amongst the most central things towards employee satisfaction. People want to know when they have done well, and if there is room to do even better, because it remains a basic fact of human existence that both of these are key, and that a culture of due recognition, acknowledgement and reward are an important aspect of basic people management. Indeed, more than that, it helps ensure the right culture where people feel valued and inspired to keep doing better.
In my experience in the people and culture space, a discipline I am as committed to as I am passionate about, I am always learning. The science of people, of their needs, wants, behaviours and cares is an ever-evolving one, for no two people are the same, nor are the precise details of what they care about or what they need. Being tasked with ensuring the most valuable asset in an organisation, its people, is no small task, and it means constantly working to understand people better, and to create the kind of environment and ecosystem that inspires, motivates, and encourages people to feel heard, cared for, recognised, appreciated and rewarded. The challenge, as Mike Robbins points out for Harvard Business Review, is that “We often use the words “recognition” and “appreciation” interchangeably, but there’s a big difference between
them. The former is about giving positive feedback based on results or performance. The latter, on the other hand, is about acknowledging a person’s inherent value.” If we do not fully take the time to understand the distinction between the two, how then are we to effectively deliver on them? As Robbins notes, “In simple terms, recognition is about what people do; appreciation is about who they are.” Even further, if we do not take the time to recognise what matters most to those in our teams, then how do we ensure we help to positively contribute to these? Last but not least in that triphecta, if we do not define the expectation of excellence in our organisations, how do we expect our people to deliver on these? Recognition can often come in the form of monetary rewards, job perks and associated benefits. These are very much, at this point, standard practice in any organisation. Remunerate people fairly, and consider incentives that can help speak to their needs for security through bonuses, performance based incentives and rewards. I would shudder to think any modern day professional business falls short in this arena, but the truth is, many often and oftentimes do. Stories of poor-paying companies who leave their employees hanging each month waiting for their due salaries, underpaying and yet overworking their people, and cutting corners to cheat their staff out of owed benefits are all
too common, and no doubt an area we all need to work to address. This is where Human Resources associations and even the Department of labour can intervene – fair and best practice being kept in check. The space we need to be focusing on as we look at futureproofing our businesses and our teams is well beyond the necessary and expected. It traverses into the space of appreciation for our people, and this means getting to know and care for them, in a way that traditional businesses may never have done before. Allow your teams to feel valued, cared for and appreciated; let them see the human side of an organisation in how it sees its people, treats its people and looks out for its people, because the need for validation and appreciation is just as important in the grander scheme of things, and indeed din Maslow’s infamous hierarchy of needs. Oprah Winfrey once addressed graduates at a Harvard University ceremony, and key in her remarks for me was the following: “I have to say that the single most important lesson I learned in 25 years talking every single day to people was that there’s a common denominator in our human experience….The common denominator that I found in every single interview is we want to be validated. We want to be understood. I’ve done over 35,000 interviews in my career. And as soon as that camera shuts off, everyone always turns to me and
“In simple terms, recognition is about what people do; appreciation is about who they are.”
Strides Magazine
20
November 2021
