Final+Paper

**Executive Summary:** __//Recognition Reward Programs://__ Applying recognition reward programs on an everyday basis leads to increased productivity among workers. __//Employee Productivity Recommendation//__ : Recognition, such as giving positive feedback on desired behaviors, creates motivation within employees to increase productivity. Furthermore, by utilizing different recognition techniques, managers foster commitment within their employees in ways such as building trust and helping them find meaningful purpose within their jobs. __//Leadership Traits and its Effect on Job Satisfaction//__ : Organizations need to include managers who allow for strong interpersonal relationships, and foster an environment where employees can clearly see their place in the company and job expectations. __//Employee Job Satisfaction://__  Techniques of Theory Y management, used as recognition, improves job satisfaction by developing strong management-staff relations. This allows workers to exercise control over their work environment and engage in meaningful professional development within the organization.  __//Implementing Training Programs to Increase Job Performance://__  Employees working under trained managers, within a company, have been shown to have a higher job performance. __//Employee Performance//__ : Employee performance is greatly affected by the type of recognition workers are given. Monetary and social benefits are the primary ways employers increase performance. Monetary and social benefits when used as recognition, boost employee morale, resulting in an overall performance increase. __**Three Recommendations to Managers & Organizations:**__ 1. Managers should make an effort to implement Theory Y management concepts in order to foster a working environment which results in higher job satisfaction. 2. Managers should create an environment where employees feel that they have a meaningful purpose and are appreciated within the company. The more committed employees are to their job, the more productive they will be. 3. Organizations should make it a priority to educate managers in the proper way to use monetary and social benefits to enhance the employee’s job performance. 

__**Introduction:**__
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Why employee recognition is worth studying://
 * 2) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is an effective management tool that can greatly increase employee satisfaction, performance, and productivity, which will ultimately increase organizational effectiveness and performance as a whole. As potential managers, we need to be aware of the methods by which we can enhance and increase employee morale, loyalty, and retention.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Relevant questions for management regarding employee recognition://
 * 4) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What, if any, are the effects derived from different recognition reward programs?
 * 5) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: lower-roman; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I.e.: monetary vs. social rewards

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> b. How can managers and employers structure an employee recognition program that is beneficial? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> c. Are there ways to teach managers to more effectively implement a recognition program? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Overview of findings:// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nobody wants to work without being recognized. During the factory era, which demonstrated Classical views on management, it can be said that morale was low by the standards we apply today. This was a result of autocratic leadership styles, where managers were seen as the ultimate authority when it came to how things were to be done. Employees were treated like mindless automatons who needed to be micromanaged to complete the simplest of tasks. This management philosophy has changed with the times. Recognizing employee effort has become a central tenet of the new era of management. This new management philosophy has significant implications on organizational performance, employee productivity, employee performance, as well as employee job satisfaction. Undertaking a thorough examination of relevant research that has been conducted, we will extol the virtues of this new form of management that believes in the workers. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Employee Recognition:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Key Concept Defined:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__Employee Recognition:__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Communication between management and employees which rewards them for reaching specific goals or producing high quality results in the workplace. Recognizing or honoring employees for this level of service is meant to encourage repeat actions, through reinforcing the behavior you would like to see repeated.” (Employee Recognition) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Leadership Traits and its Effects on Job Satisfaction** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Key concepts: Job Satisfaction:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Sense of inner fulfillment and pride achieved when performing a particular job”(Answers.com). The measure of how much an employee currently feels content, pleased and fulfilled with their present occupation. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Theory Y Management:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> This theory of management trains managers to allow employees to have a more interactive role in the decision making process of the company. When managers have these traits, and implement it to its fullest, employees will be able to exercise a modicum of self-direction. For example, when managers start to trust employees, employees are encouraged to produce better work, as they can feel their significance in the company as a whole. (Macgregor) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**The effects of theory Y management techniques on employee recognition:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Throughout the various surveys conducted by Jackie Ramasodi, the simple truth she discovered was that an employee who is not satisfied with his/her job is more likely to choose not to remain with a company over an extended period of time. The employees surveyed stated that they were more likely to achieve higher job satisfaction if management did more to recognize their contributions. When the employees of the workplace studied felt a sense of accomplishment, they began to feel as though they are were essential contributors to the organization. The managers in the study accomplished this by using Theory Y management techniques, specifically using creativity to bring out the best in his/her employees. (White, 2000) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Leaders use theory Y management techniques to recognize employees, improving job satisfaction:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ramasodi found that for managers of organizations to properly embrace the ideas presented by Theory Y, they must, in order to foster a sense of satisfaction in employees, allow them to be involved in business decisions. Decisions that can be made by employees need not be complex or even affect a large section of the company; what they need to do is simply make the employee’s feel as though they have a modicum of control over their work environment. For example, survey respondents said that they would love to be allowed to influence the projects they will be assigned to, or even allow them to expand their job description. When they believe that they have made a significant contribution to the work community, it directly results from the recognition the managers give them. (Ramasodi) According to the survey, 47% of the health care workers surveyed “strongly agreed” that they had a good working relationship with their colleagues. When employees feel that they are working with coworkers who want to help each other succeed, it increases job satisfaction. Ways in which management can foster a sense of community and group and individual recognition in the job setting is by selecting managers that can follow the precepts of Theory Y, specifically by allowing employees to participate in icebreaker activities, and taking part in low-ropes exercises. These methods of recognizing what needs to be done to increase satisfaction are especially efficacious in the hospital setting, Ramasodi discovers, as strong teamwork between doctors, nurses, and support staff is essential for positive patient outcomes. Furthermore, if a team is highly effective, newer, less experienced members are much more likely to be helped along by more experienced members. In the study conducted by Ramasodi, it was determined that an important consideration in determining an employee’s overall feeling of job satisfaction was the ability of the worker to progress within the ranks of the organization. Companies offer incentives for completing higher levels of education, such as tuition reimbursement programs or increased pay for higher qualifications. In the health care system discussed, 55.4% of respondents agreed that they had sufficient opportunity to develop. When a corporation creates an environment whereby employees feel like the work they are doing is recognized, and they can be promoted to higher pay-grades and responsibilities, they feel a greater sense of satisfaction out of their work. (Ramasodi) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Recognition Reward Programs**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Key Concept Defined:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Productivity is a measurement or calculation between inputs and outputs. Inputs are the amount of time and effort spent working, while outputs are the result” (Bartolomei). Thus, productivity is the level of output an employee can generate during a specific period of time. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Effects of Recognition Reward Programs:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> A great way to increase employee productivity, according to research done by Harvard University, is to create commitment within employees by utilizing recognition. There are two significant factors that influence and build commitment, which are trust and purpose. The more an employee feels that he/she has an impact or meaningful purpose within the company, the more committed they will be to their job and the more productive they will be. Interpersonal relationships, including “cooperative, social group moods and interactions,” and an employee’s overall trust in the company will also have a large impact on productivity. Management should be aware of these factors and realize that they can create an environment and atmosphere that cultivates commitment, especially when utilizing employee recognition programs. By rewarding and recognizing employees for their hard-work and outstanding, productive results, it helps build a positive environment where employees feel more driven and committed to their jobs; therefore, increasing employee productivity and ultimately company productivity. (Etcoff) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__//Intuit recognition program increases worker productivity//__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">: ‘Spotlight’ was a program implemented in 2007 by Intuit to recognize employees for a job well done and sheds light on a key area in employee recognition: whether recognition is more effective when it is a surprise or when it is anticipated by employees. ‘Spotlight’ was a recognition program that rewarded employees immediately following a job well done. The rewards were relevant, meaningful and related to the company’s values and included a variety of gift cards, cash, charitable donations and relevant gifts from local stores and outlets. Intuit noticed, from the onset of the program, that employee’s motivation to produce the most amounts of quality work increased significantly and awards given over the first three months jumped by 400%. Since 2007, 85% of Intuit’s employees receive awards for their outstanding productivity and in an employee opinion survey, employees felt as though their “accomplishments were recognized by the company” (Stanford Graduate School of Business). It has become embedded in the company culture within just three years and united employees around a common goal. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Recognition was seen as an important way to increase employee engagement and the success of Spotlight was seen by Intuit's management as an important aspect of the company's productivity management. It describes the culture and values at Intuit, employee input into program design, and the elements of program success. (Stanford Graduate School of Business) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__//Safety recognition program results in a decrease of on the job injuries, increasing productivity//__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//:// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">According to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), recognition plays a significant role in accomplishing permanent behavioral changes in employees (Sims). Traditionally, safety reward programs implemented, in say a construction firm, have usually been given when all employees have reached a desired, established percentage of injury rates. This, however, has caused negative peer pressure among employees to hide injuries rather than encouraging employees to prevent of injuries. The ASSE conducted a three year study in which 300 construction firms were monitored and recorded over the time period in the number of accidents that had occurred. Half of the firms refused to implement a safety reward and recognition program, while the other 150 firms did implement one. At the end of the three years, those firms who had implemented a safety recognition program had injury rates that were 50% lower than those companies who refused to implement one. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The results of the survey further showed that by taking preventative measures that focus on recognizing productive and safe behaviors, employees are less prone to hiding or sustaining injuries (Sims). Rewards also need to be positive, tangible and regular for these behaviors to be reinforced. This way the behavior, which is safe, will occur more often and result in at least three positive outcomes: less injuries, more productive and healthy employees and lower worker compensation costs for the company. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Training Programs for Managers**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Key Concepts Defined: Employee Performance:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A person’s ability to perform job related tasks and requirements. Reference will be: Luthan and Slajkovic’s behavioral management studies regarding monetary versus social rewards. “Employees are rated on how well they do their jobs compared with a set of standards determined by the employer” (Moore). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Social recognition:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The “demonstration of appreciation for a level of performance, an achievement or a contribution to an objective. It can be confidential or public, casual or formal. It is always in addition to pay” (Pitts 14). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Equity Theory - Distributive Justice:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Perceived fairness in the outcomes we receive compared to our contributions and the outcomes and contributions of others” (McShane and Gilnow). <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Effects of Training Programs:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Employee recognition can be taught through training programs and seminars. When a business puts a manager through a training program meant to teach the manager how to effectively recognize an employee to boost employee performance, one will see a definite increase in employee performance when the training the manager received is implemented in the workplace. Employee performance is greatly affected by the type of recognition workers are given. Luthans and Stajkovic present a “performance-enhancing motivator”: money. Money is used as a means to benefit the employee in a personal manner while encouraging the worker to keep the hard work up. Employers use social recognition to convey to the other employees how well a certain worker is doing, and is prevalently conveyed verbally and has no outlying costs. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Typically in American organizations, employers use monetary benefits as a means to boost employee performance. Employee performance is dependent upon employee recognition, causing morale to be boosted if recognition is achieved. Each individual within a business becomes dependent on the monetary benefits. These benefits may include existing-pay raises, year-end profit sharing, and bonuses. Without extra incentives most employees would perform with low energy and a careless mindset. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Managers undergo a recognition training program resulting in increased performance:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the study, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Differential Effects of Incentive Motivators on Work Performance// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Luthans and Stajkovic address the following question in their research: “What effect does money have on performance when it is routinely administered as pay for performance versus systematically applied through the theory-based steps of the O.B Mod. Model?” (Stajkovic & Luthans, 2001). They created a “pay-for-performance” group who received routine pay which gradually increased when performance increased. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Luthans and Stajkovic studied the 5-step Observational Behavior Modification Model created by Luthans and Kreitner. In this five-step process, one begins by recognizing performance-related behaviors. After identifying the desired behaviors, the manager should note how frequent those behaviors occur. Following this step the employer should then “analyze the antecedents and consequences associated with the behavior within the existing environment”. This step will help the managers know exactly which behaviors are created by the consequences applied. Luthans and Kreitner then suggest that the manager should “intervene by applying positive consequences/reinforcers contingent upon exhibiting the desired behavior”. Positive consequences will invariably increase the employee’s satisfactory behaviors. The final step in the model is to gather all information and evaluate how the performance was affected. The end goal is to find which means of reinforcement had the greatest positive effect on performance. (Luthans, Avery, & Luthans) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In this study, Luthans and Stajkovic trained the administrators of the pay-for-performance group how to correctly implement the five-step O.B. Mod. Model when applying consequences to the group. The administrators then discussed the rules and requirements with the pay-for-performance employees. They made sure that all of the staff were aware of the circumstances they were working under and how they could increase their pay. This plays a role in distributive justice. If the workers were not aware that increased performance led to a pay-raise and a co-worker who had increased his performance level received a raise while others didn’t, job performance would then be negatively affected. Employers need to be aware that there are equity perceptions within their work environments so they can decrease negative feedback. In the study, Luthans and Stajovic were aware of the role equity perceptions play. They encouraged discussion between the administrators and the employees, focusing on the employees’ opinions of the pay increase for satisfactory performance. During the intervention stage, where behaviors were either rewarded or corrected depending on the circumstance, the employees had trained professionals available to help each individual improve his/her behavior. The workers were also consistently reminded that “the monetary contingency consequence would be forthcoming when the workers were engaged in the critical performance behaviors” (Stajkovic & Luthans, 2001). During the duration of the study, performance levels increased 31.7%. Employee recognition from the trained managers led to significantly increased performance. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> __**Methods of implementing reward programs to increase job performance:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To motivate employees to perform and produce high quality work, it is essential that employers utilize social recognition to recognize employees in the workplace. Social recognition can be taught through training programs and seminars. Three important factors that always need to be on the minds of employers when it comes to implementing a social recognition program include the timing of the recognition, the recognizer, and the method of recognition. Implementing training programs to teach employers to practice better employee recognition using social rewards will boost employee motivation and morale, inevitably leading to an increase in work performance. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The timing of recognition is imperative with high performance behavior of employees. According to Michelman, “Timing is important. The sooner you acknowledge employee’s performance, the clearer they get the message and the more likely they are to repeat the desired performance”. Thus, by recognizing a high performance action by an employee immediately, the employee is likely to repeat that action in the future. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Additionally, the recognizer plays a big part in promoting high performance in the workplace. “To be effective, recognition needs to come from those we hold in high esteem, such as one’s manager” (Michelman 105). In the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Survey Findings of the Effectiveness of the Employee Recognition in the Public Sector// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, it was noted that the involvement of senior management was very important to employees. As a result, mangers should be trained to give adequate recognition when it is due. According to Marshall Goldsmith, who wrote <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Improve Employee Performance with Improv// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, states that improv can teach employers and managers the skills needed to practice employee recognition. Goldsmith says improv workshops help managers and employers become better listeners and become more aware of their environment. These two coupled together creates a nice blend that will ultimately lead to better employee recognition. Furthermore, employees also like to see their recognition come from their co-workers and the institute itself, not just their managers, showing that employees like to see recognition come from a variety of sources. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The method of recognition is also a very important factor in social recognition. It’s imperative that social recognition is original, specific, relevant, and frequent. In fact, a Gallup survey indicated that employees like to be recognized socially for their work at least once a week (Ventrice). This directly shows importance of giving frequent recognition. Similarly, Michelman states, “You have to keep [recognition] fresh, relevant, and sincere. Any incentive has less punch with repeated use” (105). A “fresh and sincere” way of giving recognition is to give it publicly. Jeffrey Gitomer tells his readers the power of public praising in that recognition should be given in public, not just at meetings. This is because “when someone is publicly rewarded, there… is the incentive for that person to maintain or improve his or her performance to stay at the top”. Not to mention, there is a huge stimulus for others to want to be publicly recognized in the future. This demonstrates the essential link to social recognition and improving/maintaining employee performance. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In the <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Survey Findings of the Effectiveness of Employee Recognition in the Public Sector// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, Roy Saunderson created a report based on study done in September 2002, surveying 312 people. Some interesting conclusions made by this report correlate nicely with the three major factors of social recognition listed in the research findings. One such correlation is that daily recognition by managers shows employees that managers care and appreciate their employees. In fact, the impact of recognition by the respondents show that 98% believe recognition improves belonging, 97% say it improves morale, and 92% say it increases commitment. Thus, it is clear from these statistics alone that recognition makes a huge impact of the way employees feel about their workplace. This study states that employers should be held accountable for giving better recognition and that it should even be included in their contracts and reviews. Another question this study answered was factors important to recognition effectiveness. The study showed that 94% of respondents said timely delivery of rewards was the most important factor, followed by 93% saying senior management is the second most important. What is interesting, is of the 93% that said senior management is the second most important, 75% said that involvement of the senior management is “extremely important” to them, as opposed to very or somewhat important. This goes to show that all higher management needs to get involved in the recognition process in order to boost employee performance and their sense of being appreciated. According to Ventrice, from hrweb.mit.edu, “Employees are most satisfied when recognition comes from a blend of sources”. According to this study, employees like to see their recognition come from the following three areas: Manager – 50%, Peers – 30%, and the Institute – 20%. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">__**Three Recommendations to Managers & Organizations:**__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Managers should make an effort to implement Theory Y management concepts in order to foster a working environment which results in higher job satisfaction. 2. Managers should create an environment where employees feel that they have a meaningful purpose and are appreciated within the company. The more committed employees are to their job, the more productive they will be. 3. Organizations should make it a priority to educate managers in the proper way to use monetary and social benefits to enhance the employee’s job performance.