Staff recognition tips & techniques
How Green is Staff Recognition?
There is a question I have thought about repeatedly
since I attended the 2008 Recognition
Professionals International (RPI) conference in
Newport Beach, CA at the end of April. Is staff recognition
environmentally unfriendly?
At the registration desk, we were told that the conference
was “going green”. Many of the presentation
handouts were on a USB flash drive. Attendees were
encouraged to refill the plastic water bottles found in
their conference bags, which were themselves made
with recycled materials. Provisions were made to
recycle paper and drink bottles. Name badge holders
could be returned at the end of the conference
for reuse. Rather than being presented
with gifts that they might not need or use,
speakers were told that 15 trees would
be planted on their behalf in the
nearby San Diego area devastated
by wildfires only a few
months earlier.
RPI invited attendees
to submit suggestions
to make future
conferences even greener.
All these suggestions
were entered into a draw for
travel mugs that were awarded
throughout the conference.
Another aspect of the conference was
a day-long trade show where suppliers
displayed their wares…plaques, certificates,
trophies, paperweights, boxed pen sets, clocks,
desk caddies, mugs, lapel pins…the list could go
on forever. Supplying recognition trinkets is big
business. Bob Nelson, the author of several bestselling
books, including 1001 Ways to Reward
Employees and The 1001 Rewards & Recognition
Fieldbook estimates that $27 billion is spent annually
on recognition merchandise.
One imagines that those who spend this money
are giving what they purchase to their staff, hopefully
to convey messages of appreciation for what they do
and what they achieve.
But, then what? What happens to this stuff after it
has been presented? Certainly, some plaques will be
displayed on the walls of the recipients’ offices or
homes. Some trophies adorn the shelves of bookcases.
Some employees will sip their morning coffee
from the company mugs they receive.
But not all the plaques, trophies, and mugs will be
treasured in the same way. After gathering dust for a
few weeks or months, they will be discarded. What
was given is not valued by the recipients because what
was given was not appropriate for the recipient.
Recently, an acquaintance unintentionally illustrated
this point. She showed me a set of glasses etched
with her employer’s logo that she – and every other
employee – had received to mark a milestone in the
company’s development.
“I would really like to have more of these,”
she told me. “They are really expensive
glasses, but most people don’t know that.
I am sure I’ll be able to buy more at
garage sales next summer.”
 While some may recycle
unwanted trinkets through
garage sales or donations
to charities,
many others will simply
discard them with
the household trash.
Much of the $27 billion is
being spent on items destined
for landfills.
How does one avoid environmentally
unfriendly staff recognition practices?
First, don’t assume that, just because you like
something, your staff will too. Get to know your
employees. If gift giving is part of your recognition
plan, ensure that what you give is appropriate…something
they will value and use. Better yet, give gift cards
that recipients can use to purchase something that
they will actually use. Even better, stop relying on
things to do the talking. Thank employees face-to-face,
or send them a simple thank-you note.
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