The Wow Workplace

I just finished reading The Wow Workplace by Mike Byam of Terryberry. Terryberry is an employee recognition award company.  Considering that the company has the obvious bias of wanting to sell awards, Byam has done a very even-handed job of writing about building an employee recognition culture.

Byam’s book confirms that awards are only a piece of the recognition puzzle. In talking about creating a recognition culture, he includes a chapter on listening and another on empathy – two very important components in creating a workplace where people feel valued.

He illustrates his ideas well with lots of good examples from companies such as Google, Wegman’s and In and Out Burgers.

There are many good ideas in this book. One in particular stood out for me.
People in sales often have their awards noted on their business cards: President’s Circle, Million Dollar Roundtable, etc.  Why not steal this idea from sales to use with the rest of your employees? You can create a logo for customer service champion, print the logo for an award from outside your organization. You print business cards anyway. Why not make them a source of pride and recognition?

The Wow Workplace is worth adding to your recognition library!