There’s no question that the fictional Dundie awards, presented to Dunder Mifflin employees in The Office, are hilarious. But in the real world, recognising employees with meaningless awards for their white tennis shoes or humiliating awards for their bathroom habits is a far cry from funny. Still, employee recognition — when done right — is a big deal. It can boost productivity, retain talent, and generally improve your workplace culture.
So, aside from doing the opposite of what Michael Scott would do, how can you recognise your employees in a way that’ll make them feel truly valued?
Start by being thoughtful about what you want to recognise your employees for, how you want to award them for their hard work, and what kind of event or celebration you want to have. Stick to recognising positive, work-related achievements, and keep the focus on the employees, not the managers and above. And for more lessons we can learn from The Office, have a look at this fun infographic!
Author: Kayla Caldwell – Associate Editor, Brado and Ranker
Photo credit: Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
