Tx! And Other (Better) Endorsements
We don’t mean to take people for granted. We are truly grateful for the hard work of our employees – we just sometimes forget to say it aloud, or assume they already know how grateful we are.
Saying a sincere “thank you” is one of the simplest and most motivating kinds of business endorsements there is.
A survey quoted by Forbes.com in Susan Adams’ 2010 Article “In Praise of Praise” found that verbal praise can sometimes be as effective as a cash reward. Yet, in the rush of business and the era of the tweet, these niceties (if not left behind completely) are often reduced to the emailing or texting of two character contractions (tx!). In fact, in the same Forbes article, another study found that between 75 and 80 percent of American workers reported receiving absolutely no recognition from their managers at all.
I’ve personally been in two meetings recently where this was brought up. One was with a team here at The Ariel Group who are under a lot of pressure to produce. “We are completing a ton of work for this organization. We’re working long hours and meeting deadlines. And nobody seems to notice. Nobody even says thank you.”
Another meeting was about fundraising for a community organization I belong to. Several people mentioned that a small group of people tended to pledge the most money. And they were feeling taken for granted. “I’m happy to keep supporting this organization, but it’d be nice if someone said thanks!”
Simple, right? We don’t mean to take people for granted. We are truly grateful for the hard work of our employees – we just sometimes forget to say it aloud, or assume they already know how grateful we are.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a handy job aid to help keep the idea of giving specific, authentic employee endorsements in the forefront of your mind.
Do you regularly endorse your employees? Is your hard work acknowledged and appreciated by your boss?
