Caught in the Act

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Caught in the Act

Jody Urquhart

January 2, 2002





"This project was my baby for over a year. After all the hours I invested, management had the nerve to pat me on the back and give me a cheap gold pen. How patronizing! I have news for them--I didn't do all that hard work for empty praise or a cheap prize. I did it because I'm the best person for the job. I wanted to see it happen and it did. This makes it feel like my accomplishments are ordinary. I didn't just fix the fax machine or something."

Everybody likes to be acknowledged and appreciated for their efforts. Or do they? Most companies have a formal way of acknowledging employees with such things as annual award banquets, top sales awards and certificates. But there are a couple major pitfalls to these programs:

  • The reward is handed down from management and reinforces imbalances in power.
  • It can be patronizing to receive a small award for a large accomplishment.
  • The accomplishment is often a team effort.



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    "I never resist temptation, because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me."
    - George Bernard Shaw