Research shows, “Seven out of 10 employees who report they’ve received some form of appreciation from their supervisors say they’re happy with their jobs.”
When deciding on an employee of the month, you want to evaluate individuals based on a variety of factors. Key employee of the month criteria include work performance, demeanor, professional growth, client/customer service, loyalty, dedication, and workplace cultural contributions.
Work Performance
Most, if not all businesses, will want to recognize a particular person if his/her work performance stands out from the rest. When deciding on an employee of the month, work performance should always be included in your evaluation as it is one of the most important aspects of an staff member’s contribution to your company. Whether it’s a sales leader or a customer service powerhouse, work performance is the top employee of the month criteria.
Demeanor
No one has a good day every day. Despite that, this is the employee who always has a smile on his/her face, and offers positive reinforcement when a project takes a turn for the worst. You’re not going to award the employee of the month honor to someone who is short-tempered, hard to work with, or is overall unpleasant more often than not. Recognize the worker who demonstrates what it means to love their job and to remain dedicated to it even during a bad day.
Professional Growth
There’s room for growth in any position. An employee who takes the time to seek out learning or networking opportunities to better themselves for the job is someone management should absolutely recognize. This worker is dedicated to strengthening their professional skills and knowledge in service of the company. Over time, this person will become a stronger asset for your business.
Client/Customer Service
When an unsatisfied customer gets in touch with your business to complain, this employee can turn lemons into lemonade. Or maybe this employee is a networking master who has built invaluable client relationships for your company. Your business would not exist without clients, so your next employee of the month might be the person who best met your customers’ needs.
Cultural Contributions
Every business has its own culture, and certain employees go above and beyond to contribute to the overall wellbeing of their workplace. Pam from marketing always spear heads charitable efforts the office can participate in. Or maybe IT tech Dwayne designed a green initiative to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. An employee recognition program is an invaluable component of your corporate culture, so a staff member’s efforts to contribute to that should be reviewed when considering who to recognize as employee of the month.
As businesses vary, you’ll want to determine which employee of the month criteria best suit your company, its culture, and objectives before launching this employee recognition initiative. Consider what employee of the month criteria would define a top-performing staff member in relation to your business goals and company values.