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Why do people work?  Do people work only to earn money to enable them to pay bills and to live in some comfort?  Perhaps, or do they work for another more inherent reason?

We all need money to live in comfort and to support our families.  However, I believe that most normal human beings thrive on being recognized for their accomplishments.  Most people thrive in environments that give them ample recognition.  At home, you can do things for your roommates or family members.  In most cases it’s a crapshoot if they will appreciate yourefforts.  If you are married, your spouse may or may not recognize the extra effort that it took to make the house or yard sparkle.

I believe that the place where we can be recognized, consistently, is at work.  When we are at work, we are measured for our efforts that support revenue growth, or for our efforts that increase net profits.  Revenue growth and net profits can be measured and it is easy to appreciate when these increase because increases in these areas impress investors.

It is important that all individual employees be given a set of metrics or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that they can be measured on.  If everyone is held accountable for their jobs and measured accordingly, they have a framework by which they can be recognized.

Once you have created the metrics and KPI’s, for every contributing member of your company, you have the framework to build a consistent recognition process which can be implement across the organization.  As I mentioned, earlier, I believe that people thrive on recognition.  If this is true, to help your employees to thrive, your company should consider building a continuous recognition program.

A continuous recognition program may recognize those individuals who consistently meet their objectives.  This is an easy place to start.  To get your entire organization to thrive, however, your company might consider recognizing employees who have made incremental improvements.  You may want to recognize people who contribute to the greater community, etc.  The continuous recognition program can be run as often as you’d like; monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, etc.

Give Managers the opportunity to do “spot” recognition, on the fly and in front of their teams.  This type of recognition will prevent complacency.   Imagine how you might feel if, out-of-the-blue, your manager recognized you and gave you the rest of the day off because of your contribution to the company.

The method of recognition can take many forms.  As a company, decide if you will give days off, gift cards, cash, etc.  However, don’t let these be the only forms used for recognizing your team members.  A nice letter, on company letterhead, or a note of thanks can go a long way in motivating your team and building a “thriving” organizational culture.

Design a continuous recognition program and implement it.  Watch your team members and organization thrive.