Sometimes, however, the link between reward and
performance is unclear, as Ethical Dilemma Exerciseon
page 146 shows.
A survey of Canadian firms in 2004 by Hewitt
Associates found that 34 percent of companies recog-
nized individual or group achievements with cash or
merchandise.^64 At the same time, recognizing employ-
ees can cost little or no money. Toronto-based KPMG is
one company that has created a “thank-you culture” to
recognize good work and deeds. Recognition is a way of
“reinforcing our corporate values,” says Val Duffey,
KPMG’s Toronto-based human resource director. “We
acknowledge that recognition is critical to motivating,
satisfying and retaining the best employees.”^65 Not all
employees feel they get recognition, however. In a recent
Globe and MailWeb poll, 27 percent of respondents said
that they had never received a compliment from their
bosses, and 10 percent said that they had received the
last compliment from their bosses over a year ago.^66
Organizations can recognize employees in numerous
ways. The Globe and Mailawards the Stephen Godfrey
Prize for Newsroom Citizenship. Vancouver-based Purdy’s
Chocolates recognizes employees on their birthdays and when they move, get married,
or have children. As well, Purdy’s recognizes employees who reach their five-year anniver-
sary with the company at an annual luncheon, with out-of-town employees flown in for
the event.^67 Other ways of recognizing performance include sending personal notes or
emails for good performance, putting employees on prestigious committees, sending
them for training, and giving someone an assistant for a day to help clear backlogs.
Employee recognition may reduce turnover in organizations, particularly that of
good employees. When executives were asked the reasons why employees left for jobs
with other companies, 34 percent said it was due to lack of recognition and praise,
Chapter 4Motivating Self and Others 125At Toronto-based Snap Promo-
tions, rewards are given sponta-
neously, for extraordinary effort.
CEO Warren Kotler (kneeling at
right, with employees Leilani
Nolan and Mez Lalji) shows his
deep appreciation for his entire
team by giving them tickets to
shows and concerts, buying them
lunch, and even sending a
masseuse to someone’s home.
Kotler recently organized a “Steak
& Beans” contest, dividing the
company into two teams that
received points for meetings set,
quotes generated, and sales
achieved. At the end of the
period, the losing team ate beans
at Morton’s Steakhouse in
Toronto (a well-known upscale
restaurant) while watching the
winners feast on steak.EXHIBIT 4-10Source:From the Wall Street Journal,October 21, 1997. Reprinted
by permission of Cartoon Features Syndicate.Hewitt Associates
http://www.hewitt.com/canada