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In our fast paced society, many people do not take the time to recognize the contributions of others and also do not pat themselves on their own backs. Although verbal praise is welcomed by most, other types of rewards have a more positive and long lasting impact if properly executed and more importantly, fit the needs of the individual. The key factor is to determine if the individual sees it as a true reward and will thus increase their productivity or one that is anticipated every time so the effort slacks off eventually. In addition, as individuals do we tend to cross off the chore on the to-do list and then move on to the next item, or do we reward ourselves for a job well done?
For a moment, remember a time when you were in school and the teacher gave you a gold star. Think about how happy you were and how you wanted to share your good news with others. Now try to recreate that feeling for yourself in your workplace. Difficult to do? Probably - especially with the economy still struggling, companies cutting back on expenses, and people spending less.
Rewarding has to be more creative; rewards that were successful in the past do not hold the same value now. According to the book, Drive: The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us, author Daniel Pink explores the difference in the workplace between algorithmic people (“those that “follow a set of established instructions down a single pathway to one conclusion”) and heuristics people (“those that experiment with possibilities and devise a novel solution”). In the past, most jobs were based on the philosophy that if you did your job you would be rewarded and if not, you were punished; in general, the practice was to reward with a cash compensation paid in set intervals. The algorithmic mindset worked well under these circumstances.
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