Everyday I am bombarded with email on recognition. Usually, I scan them to see if they are interesting and, if not, delete, delete, delete. However, the other day I came across a particular email that was rather intriguing. It stated that employees are not committed to their jobs unless they feel appreciated for their contributions. And, as we all know, it is impossible to have a high performance team without committed employees. Therefore, in order to maintain committed employees, they need to be recognized every seven days.

Managers have said that they don’t have the time to recognize that often. They also believe that if they do recognize that often, the act of recognition loses its meaning.

To counteract this belief, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, authors of the Carrot books, ask this question: “How often do you tell your husband (wife, girlfriend, etc.) that you love them?”

Managers respond, “Probably every day.”

Gostick and Elton: “What would happen if you just said it once a year – on your anniversary? Would that cut it?”

Managers: “Are you kidding?”

Gostick and Elton: “Why not?”

Managers: “Because she (he) wants to hear it.”

Therein lies the “Aha!” moment. Suddenly managers get it that “I love you” never gets old, and either does “thank you.” We can never receive enough sincere appreciation for our hard work.

Recognizing employees every seven days does not have to be a huge event. It can be just a sincere thank you or a low-cost informal award.