The most Timely way to recognize staff

Recognition is like a glass of Coke. Wait too long and the fizz is gone.

Recognition is best if it is Timely, delivered soon after the action that triggers it. 

This can happen in several simple ways: a smile, nod or a thumbs-up; an expression of appreciation spoken at the time; or a few words on a sticky note. 

Another tool is a text message, particularly if you are recognizing someone who works remotely.

It takes little time to compose and send a message that will appear on the recipient’s smart phone just moments after you witness behaviour you appreciate. And you can be assured that your words will be seen.

Recipients read text messages. A study found that 98 per cent are opened. Nearly 60 per cent are read within five minutes. By comparison, only 20 per cent of emails are opened.

Want to do more? You can always follow up your text with other, slightly less Timely recognition, selected with the recipient in mind to ensure that the recognition is Appropriate.

Thank-you cards are one way to say, Thanks, Again!

Thank-you notes have more “trophy value.” Recipients frequently hold on to handwritten thank-you notes and reread them from time to time. What makes thank-you notes particularly powerful is that because they are handwritten, they convey that you feel what the recipient did was important enough that you invested some of your time to pick up a pen and write the message.

While thank-notes may be better tool—I  call them staff recognition’s number one tool—they may not always be the most Timely way to recognize staff. It is easy to procrastinate, putting off their writing until “there is more time.”

When it comes to providing recognition that is Timely, texting trumps most other ways of expressing appreciation—before the fizz is gone.