No matter the industry, employees need more than just a paycheck to feel valued — they need to know their work is appreciated by leadership. Implementing performance recognition measures can ensure you fulfill that need, and can be a cost-effective solution for keeping your best drillers from leaving. In this article, we’ll cover types of things to recognize, when to do it, and ways to recognize your employees that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

What to Recognize

The first step to performance recognition is knowing what you should recognize.

An obvious reason for recognition is excellent performance. This may be meeting a tight client deadline, taking on tasks like mentoring newly hired drillers, flagging a safety concern on a work site, or identifying a solution that saved the company time or money.

Another reason for recognizing employees is a benchmark achievement, such as obtaining a new credential, license or qualification. Many organizations also highlight significant work anniversaries, such as their 5, 10, 15, or 20-year tenure with the organization.

When to Recognize

Almost as important as knowing what to recognize is knowing when to do it. Applauding an employee’s performance too soon can curve their performance or give the impression the job is done. On the other hand, waiting too long to may cause the employee to feel their effort has gone unnoticed and can lead to dissatisfaction. There is no one right formula for choosing the timing, but it’s helpful to be aware and gauge what works best for your team.

How to Recognize

After identifying what you want to recognize and the timing, you must decide how you want to recognize the employee. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to do this — there are options at every price point.

• Awards: These can be anything from a personalized plaque to a custom pin or coin.
• Gifts: If you have company-branded clothing, this is a great use for it. Other gifts might include food, gift cards, etc.
• Public announcements: Company-wide emails thanking an employee for their contribution encourage co-workers to congratulate and thank them, too.
• Notes or letters of appreciation: A personal note from someone in leadership praising someone’s performance in a specific scenario can make your employees feel like their work is noticed and appreciated.

Whatever and however you choose to go about it, it’s important to make your employees feel valued. A little appreciation goes a long way, and can have a positive impact on your ability to retain your best employees.