With Valentine's Day just behind us, it reminds me of how many of us "share the love" in the workplace - that is, through corporate recognition programs. 

Over time, the simple act of saying thank you seems to have become rather complicated in the corporate workplace. There are big, yearlong recognition programs with points and websites and Caribbean cruises. There are different levels of recognition with certificates that can be redeemed for cash and prizes. While there are certainly benefits to these more formal programs, I think some of the best - and most effective - recognition programs are the simplest. 

We recently helped a client with a peer-to-peer recognition program that made it super easy for one employee to say thanks to another employee. While there was a good amount of work on the back end to make all of this fabulous simplicity happen, the program was designed so that all an employee had to do was go to a website, type in a name, select from a checklist of positive attributes that described the person, add a few comments, and hit submit. With lightning speed, an e-card was then sent off to the much-appreciated individual, featuring a cool design suitable for printing and display (plus a copy was sent to his or her manager). 

We also created our own peer-to-peer recognition program called "Damn You're Good!" at Brilliant Ink. Each employee receives a designated budget each calendar year to use to celebrate their team members and remind them of just how damn good they are!

Another good idea is to return to one of the oldest - and I think best - methods of recognition that I learned from my mom at an early age. That is, when someone does something nice for you, you send a handwritten thank you note. One client I worked with made this super easier by having a stack of postcard style thank you notes delivered to company managers. 

We were able to make the process of figuring out what to write in the note easy by including a simple, fun headline (like "You Rock!") and including checkboxes listing common reasons why someone might be thanked (meeting a deadline, achieving great results, etc.). So all a manager had to do was grab a card, check a box or two, sign it, and drop it on an employee's desk. 

Unfortunately, in tough economic times, companies may try to save money by cutting budgets for recognition programs. But making a one-time, upfront investment in a simple recognition program like one of these will garner big participation numbers from employees, and have lasting results with only minimal refreshing. Sometimes all people really need is a personal expression of gratitude letting them know that they are appreciated - or perhaps even loved - by the people they work with.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

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