When it comes to recognizing employees on the spot for outstanding work, many firms have come up with instant recognition programs that allow staff to give each other a pat on the back and a small reward to say thanks for a job well done.
Consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has added a twist to on-the-spot recognition for its 3,300 Canadian employees in the form of a scratch-and-win card.
“It’s what we call the Thumbs Up program,” said Wayne McFarlane, human capital leader for PwC. “It recognizes people on-the-spot with a small reward for doing extra work.”
Anyone in the firm is eligible to give or receive the cards, but McFarlane said it tends to be managers and partners who hand them out. He gave the example of an administrative assistant who worked all weekend to help her boss with a particular project as someone who would be deserving of the reward.
“But anyone can give a ticket to anyone else,” he said. “The other day a junior person wanted to give another junior person a Thumbs Up card and I said, ‘Sure. Absolutely.’ That’s really what it’s meant to be — recognizing each other and all contributing to teamwork.”
Scratch-and-win prizes include movie passes, book and magazine subscriptions, CDs, DVDs, dinner for two and tickets to special events. Values range from $25 to $50.
McFarlane said the program has been popular with staff and he thinks it’s important to recognize staff for a job well done as soon as possible.
“We do have a bonus program built into our overall compensation program,” he said. “But, of course, bonuses are only paid once a year. It’s important not to wait for a whole year to recognize people’s efforts.”
In addition to the scratch-and-win tickets, PwC also has a program to recognize staff who do volunteer work in the community in the Greater Toronto Area. Staff can nominate colleagues who volunteer in the community in four categories — community improvement, health, education and the arts.
A special banquet is held for the winners and the charities they volunteer for, and PwC donates $1,000 to the charity in the name of each employee.
“It’s going over quite well,” said McFarlane. “The reception is held at a nice club. Employees get their pictures taken with the senior people in the organization and the information is put in our firm-wide newsletter. So right across the entire company there is recognition of these people.”
Consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has added a twist to on-the-spot recognition for its 3,300 Canadian employees in the form of a scratch-and-win card.
“It’s what we call the Thumbs Up program,” said Wayne McFarlane, human capital leader for PwC. “It recognizes people on-the-spot with a small reward for doing extra work.”
Anyone in the firm is eligible to give or receive the cards, but McFarlane said it tends to be managers and partners who hand them out. He gave the example of an administrative assistant who worked all weekend to help her boss with a particular project as someone who would be deserving of the reward.
“But anyone can give a ticket to anyone else,” he said. “The other day a junior person wanted to give another junior person a Thumbs Up card and I said, ‘Sure. Absolutely.’ That’s really what it’s meant to be — recognizing each other and all contributing to teamwork.”
Scratch-and-win prizes include movie passes, book and magazine subscriptions, CDs, DVDs, dinner for two and tickets to special events. Values range from $25 to $50.
McFarlane said the program has been popular with staff and he thinks it’s important to recognize staff for a job well done as soon as possible.
“We do have a bonus program built into our overall compensation program,” he said. “But, of course, bonuses are only paid once a year. It’s important not to wait for a whole year to recognize people’s efforts.”
In addition to the scratch-and-win tickets, PwC also has a program to recognize staff who do volunteer work in the community in the Greater Toronto Area. Staff can nominate colleagues who volunteer in the community in four categories — community improvement, health, education and the arts.
A special banquet is held for the winners and the charities they volunteer for, and PwC donates $1,000 to the charity in the name of each employee.
“It’s going over quite well,” said McFarlane. “The reception is held at a nice club. Employees get their pictures taken with the senior people in the organization and the information is put in our firm-wide newsletter. So right across the entire company there is recognition of these people.”
