Employee of the month - surely leads to division amongst employees?
Bill Clinton
Posts: 9,389 Forum Member
✭
Noticed an "Employee Of The Month" board in Costco, which admittedly I don't think I've seen too much in the UK, I've not noticed it in Asda, Sainsburys. But it got me thinking that it must surely annoy people who don't win the award or perhaps think they are working well doing a good job etc but seem to continually not win the award because they are "quiet types" and are not well known to management etc, It's also a conformist thing because it makes it a requirement almost to be recognised by your co-workers/colleagues and/or management and then you get proof that you are not very well recognised by never winning "employee of the month" if you are not!
Another absurdity of it being on public display is that typically most customers don't really know the staff so it's not like they are getting some sort of version of "Britain's Got Talent" when they enter the store!, they are more likely to in a smaller business where they are not likely to have "employee of the month", so it's really for internal advertisement and as such is that needed, the award could be given privately so as not to upset other colleagues.
If I ran a business I would never have "employee of the month" and it's one of the things that makes me glad I've never had a proper job.
I know it must mainly be a US thing because I can hardly recall even seeing it outside of Costco (which I'm now a member of!), does your workplace have it, and how do you feel about it. I'd even feel uncomfortable about winning it because I don't want my colleagues turning against me, just seems a bad idea all round I have to say!
A radio station I'm on abandoned a similar idea, where they gave more broadcasting hours only to favoured broadcasters, but this was removed after it became subscription. As a socialist I prefer equality, and I would absolutely hate "employee of the month".
Achievement of the month seems better - http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2011/04/replace_your_employee-of-the-month_program.html
Another absurdity of it being on public display is that typically most customers don't really know the staff so it's not like they are getting some sort of version of "Britain's Got Talent" when they enter the store!, they are more likely to in a smaller business where they are not likely to have "employee of the month", so it's really for internal advertisement and as such is that needed, the award could be given privately so as not to upset other colleagues.
If I ran a business I would never have "employee of the month" and it's one of the things that makes me glad I've never had a proper job.
I know it must mainly be a US thing because I can hardly recall even seeing it outside of Costco (which I'm now a member of!), does your workplace have it, and how do you feel about it. I'd even feel uncomfortable about winning it because I don't want my colleagues turning against me, just seems a bad idea all round I have to say!
A radio station I'm on abandoned a similar idea, where they gave more broadcasting hours only to favoured broadcasters, but this was removed after it became subscription. As a socialist I prefer equality, and I would absolutely hate "employee of the month".
Achievement of the month seems better - http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/tips/archives/2011/04/replace_your_employee-of-the-month_program.html
0
Comments
60,000+ people in 65 countries.
Last week I was beaten to it by the inanimate carbon rod.
I'm willing to bet that hotel guy you rang that time over that glass of water won "Employee of the Month", simply for his patience.
Seriously though, any kind of incentive or achievement does not compromise equality.
Well, that says a lot.
I've never worked anywhere with employee of the month but some jobs have had incentives and generally they seem to work well.
* Contrary to modern thinking that competition among children is bad.
Always strikes me as a bit twee. Not many staff want to be named as employee of the month. Makes them look like a crawler or management lackey.
Where I work we have EOTM and soon to start we will be observing colleagues.
Ridiculous.
I agree. I think it depends a lot on the background culture in the company. If the company operates a quality culture and values and empowers its employees all the time then it can be a very positive thing to have. If it is bolted onto a company with poor labour relations and a staff that feel beleaguered and marginalised then it has no effect or a negative one.
I used to work for a company that had employee of the month and innovator of the month awards. The nominations came from the staff and staff also voted on the winner. Some of the effort it rewarded was really inspiring.
I recall a manager who won employee of the month for the second time because he had gone above and beyond the call of duty to support a colleague. He was driving back from a days work In Bristol to Shropshire and passed a female colleague broken down on the motorway near Cheltenham. He went to her aid, stayed with her until the vehicle was taken away. Then drove her home to Bristol, then drove himself back to Shropshire. His journey to work probably started at 6am that morning and he would have already been out for 12 hours by the time he passed her on the hard shoulder. He was nominated and voted for by the young woman and her colleagues.
The award not only put the person who did well in the spot light but also allows other staff to highlight, acknowledge and celebrate their colleagues. I think it is the latter that is the more valuable aspect truth be told.
I think it's generally only limited to unskilled labour places of employment.
If so, it worked. She spent the next month moaning about all the hard work she'd done (!) in the 3 years she'd been there and she'd never had a mention in the mag..