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It is human nature for employees to want and need recognition. Organizations that meet these needs are more successful. Everyone wins in an environment where (1) employees understand the company's mission, strategy and values and (2) know they will be consistently recognized and rewarded for demonstrating the right behaviors and getting the right results.

No wonder there is so much emphasis on employee recognition these days; it really matters. But let's face it, like everything else it's not just about having an employee recognition program, it's about having an effective employee recognition program. In fact, an ineffective program can get you exactly what you don't want — de-motivation.

What distinguishes organizations that are really good at creating and managing effective employee reward and recognition programs from those that are not? What is it about the recognition strategies and practices that strengthen individual and organizational performance?

According to Dr. Bob Nelson, author of The 1001 Rewards and Recognition Handbook, "Recognition is most meaningful when it is performance-based, given promptly, given frequently, given informally, given in the appropriate setting and valuable to both provider and recipient."

Let's take a look at what best-in-class organizations are doing to create well-planned, well-implemented and well-managed recognition cultures:

• Start with a compelling and proactively communicated recognition mission
• Reward only those things that truly make a difference to the organization's success
• Meticulously align recognition with company's mission, strategies and values
• Walk the talk , ensure senior leaders actively support and model recognition
• Establish clear reward criteria
• Always look for new and creative ways to recognize excellent performance
• Regularly benchmark best-in-class high recognition companies to set internal bar
• Provide numerous opportunities for employees at all levels to be appropriately recognized
• Make providing recognition an essential part of every manager's job
• Make time to catch folks doing things right
• Always link recognition to performance
• Make recognition manager oriented - in other words, decentralize
• Make it as easy as possible to reward folks for doing excellent work
• Make awards exciting and fun
• Use tangible and non-tangible awards
• Offer monetary and non-monetary awards
• Think outside the box; incorporate myriad ways to show your employees you appreciate their good work
• Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
• Train managers in the employee recognition process and the importance of their role in creating motivational work environments
• Hold managers accountable for recognizing their top performers
• Encourage employees to talk to their managers about what motivates them
• Enable peer-to-peer as well as top-down awards
• Offer both long-term and on-the-spot awards
• Measure, measure, measure - evaluate and adjust
• Match the reward to the employee's personality
• Involve your employees in creating organizational reward and recognition programs. You'll get more buy-in, not to mention a plethora of creative ideas.
• Match the award to the effort. A simple "thank you" probably will not work for someone who has worked 12-hour days, including weekends, for a month.
• Be specific. Ensure employees know why they are being recognized and how they have contributed to key business goals.
• Offer both small and large awards. If money is an issue, have an annual drawing for the big prizes. If there's no money, there's still hope. There are many no-cost/low-cost ways to let your employees know they count, such as spending time to listen and mentor.
• Remember: No favorites! Reward on the basis of clear, consistent and measurable award criteria. This is not about longevity and entitlement, it's about  P E R F O R M A N C E !

Make recognition happen !