Flynn: “Communication is key. We always try to have honest conversations and together set smart, measurable goals. I try to make employees feel valued and listen to their input rather than dictating expectations.”
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE AND REWARD EXCEPTIONAL WORK?
Ambush ‘Em for a Job Well Done!
At Herbert Wells Ice Rink in College Park, Md., employees get “ambushed” with recognition!
“We have a divisional newsletter that comes out quarterly and in it is a spot to share any staff all-stars or facility pride and/or achievements,” says Herbert Wells Ice Rink Facility Manager Wendy Donley. “The newsletter gets distributed throughout our entire agency, so it’s a wonderful way to share what great staff or programs we have! We also do ‘Appreciation Ambush,’ which is when a team will rush in and surprise the nominated team. The Ambush Team is dressed in crazy costumes, makes a lot of noise, and brings cheer, snacks and fun signs of appreciation. The Appreciation Ambush is a recognition program that encourages each of our divisions to show appreciation for a high-performing team and allows the department to help celebrate the team’s successes.”
recognize that for most of the part-time employees, this is their secondary job – we are flexible with the scheduling and schedule by the month. We try to be consistent with scheduling them on certain days so they can fit working at the Civic Arena into their schedules; this also helps them build relationships with our users.”
Carlson: “I feel I show everyone respect.
Our full- and part-time staffs continue to give the arena and our customers their time; that is important.”
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Dobbs: “People want to be told they are doing a good job. Communication is key, and a thank you goes a long way. In addition, we have an employee write-up program that anyone can do. We fill out an acknowledgment card and point out specifically what the employee did exceptionally well. One of these write-ups is randomly selected, and the employee receives a $25 gift card for use at our pro shop.”
Fitzgerald: “Sharks Ice has a recognition and reward program based on our core values of service, pride, integrity, respect, dedication and teamwork. Supervisors and managers are encouraged to ‘catch’ someone exceeding expectations in their day-to-day work and acknowledge them in front of staff and customers. We also like to reward teams that accomplish great things, like executing an event well or accomplishing a big project. For example, this could be in the form of an impromptu pizza party or tickets to a game.”
Grate: “Making sure to recognize staff
for exceptional work is very important. Sometimes this comes as a simple gesture of an ‘immediate noteworthy’ — a note stating what a great job they did. We do a $50 gift card drawing each month for employees who have received an
‘immediate noteworthy.’ Also, recognition sometimes includes more responsibility. I think this goes along with, ‘How do you motivate your staff?’ Tose who work hard know your customer base, and giving them personal projects to work on to help improve your facility gives them an even greater sense of pride and purpose in their job.”
Harton: “We have annual reviews and
bonuses, personally acknowledge individuals, give them more responsibility and promote them. We have also done employee of the month and quarter as well.”
Shaffer: “I try to use a combination of private and public praise and that all depends on the employee. Some employees thrive on public accolades, while others shy from it, so I try to tailor my approach to each employee.”
Vaughan: “A simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way! A long-term reward for all employees who do good work for the arena is to give them respect and listen to them; this is a long-term, sustainable model we try to strive for.”
Carlson: “Te National Sports Center
has created several staff outings. Tese outings take place away from the facility and allow everyone to have fun and learn more about each other’s personal side. I, myself, need to thank everyone even more than I do.”
HOW DO YOU MANAGE VARYING PERSONALITIES, WORK STYLES AND AGES? DO YOU TAILOR YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL?
Dobbs: “I try to be myself. I mingle with staff and get to know them. Te ‘boss’ remembering them makes them feel good about themselves, and in turn, they work harder for me. I tend to share my family life with them to make them feel comfortable with me. I try to find something in common and talk about that subject with them. Older staff has similarities with me, and younger staff shares commonality with my kids. I show my staff that I can relate to them.”
Fitzgerald: “Being in Oakland, which
is one of the most diverse cities in the world in every way, has taught us that no two people are alike. I believe the key to successfully managing a large staff (we have 150 employees in our arena) is to set clear goals and expectations, while also trying to adjust tempo and tone in communications based upon individual temperaments and personalities. Everyone needs to deliver the same great customer service, but not everyone learns and receives feedback in the same way. Trust is a two-way street. When our staff trusts us, we not only get the most out of them, but we also get the best feedback from them to help us to continuously improve.”
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