I used to buy a basket of fruit and place it at the front desk next to the receptionist with a thank you to an employee for some particular endeavor. It didn't cost a lot and it went over very well.

In the mid eighties, I was working for a very large technology company and was privileged to present a $1,000 award (a fairly large award) to a service representative for a job well done and I had to go to a meeting in the branch office of that division to do it. I also presented him with a basket of fruit and got this comment:

"Thanks for the award." Then with tears in his eyes he said "I really appreciate the basket of fruit because I know you went and chose it for me and it comes from you , not the company."

I was astounded at the applause that got.

Personally, I work with some terrific people. I am in a somewhat unique position as I am my own supervisor. I work for and with many people. I get along with them all - some do not make that easy but I strive to always keep cool and noncombative because it accomplishes nothing. The Executive Director, Director of finance and Director of Operations always use me to help in areas that need assistance with projects and I have a vast variety of functions in my job. The People that I just mentioned all have one thing in common - they can get better results from more employees than any other Leaders I have the priviledge or occasionally the misfortune to work with. The one thing that makes them able to motivate and inspire outstanding results is they freely compliment people for the good work and accomplishments they make and also encourage everyone involved to use the talents of each individual in such a way that they can feel fulfilled and appreciated. The object is to fit the right person to the right job not just fill the task with a body to do it. This is how great teams are made and kept long term. I am very blessed to have a perfect job that I love to do and feel like they love for me to do what I do. I am coming up on 18 years of service and this is the only place I have worked long enough to get a vacation. I held hundreds of jobs for a short time but never had a job I liked and that made me feel like it was something worth doing. I love my job because of the great leaders I have.

Working in academia, it can be difficult to reward employees with monetary incentives. There are no "bonuses" to award at the end the year and, depending on the position, no easy way to give merit increases. It can be difficult as a leader/manager/supervisor but it doesn't have to be crippling.

As a rule, I make it a habit to tell my employees "thank you" for almost everything they do. Thus, you will hear me using those words on a daily basis.

I also often bring in treats in the mornings for all staff, like coffee and bagels. I do it not for a particular occasion, like holidays, but "just because."

I give small tokens of appreciation at Administrative Professionals' Day and at holiday periods to staff. It doesn't break my budget and the little effort is very much appreciated by staff.

I will occasionally take people out to lunch as well, for jobs well done.

I am flexible with their requests for time off, vacation and personal or family matters. This is an area where I do have some control and it is very much appreciated by staff.

I also priase appropriate staff in front of my bosses and other colleagues when they have contributed significantly to a project, stating how I could not have done it without them.

All in all, I recognize the importance of their work to mine and try to treat everyone as I would like to be treated. This goes a long way in improving employee morale.

I work for a really demanding boss. After talking to my wife, we decided that it's time for me to slow down. I got an excellent review. I told my boss that I wanted to start to work part time. It's been four months since I made my request. She is still looking for my replacement. I"ve painted myself into a box. She wants me to help to pick my replacement AND still do the same job part time that I do now. A good review can be a killer

Did you keep the $1000?

TIE

Praise really does work wonders!

Where I work we're having a problem however because we're forced to give praise. A manager actually got criticized on her review for not giving out enough praise. Well, I know the manager and she gave praise when it was truly deserved. Our boss doesn't care what the praise is about as long as it's there i.e. "Thank you for coming to work today, Bob." or "Sheila, you have really shown a team player attitude by putting on deodorant consistently." It is so bad, this undeserved praise, that the employees know they are just being placated. It means nothing to them. One lady got employee of the month (everyone gets it as a matter of coming around to your name) and the same week she was written up for things that she had been doing for years.

In short, that praise needs to be sincere and earned to have good effect.