You need to think very carefully when setting KPIs (key performance indicators), which after all is what you are really doing if you are looking to recognise, praise or reward employees for certain behaviour.
Some KPIs can breed bad behaviour, particularly if there is a bonus or other financial reward at stake, or promotional prospects. Even the recognition is enough for some people.
A great example of KPIs driving poor behaviour can be found in the recruitment industry. Some recruitment companies have KPIs such as;
- number of cold calls made per day or week,
- number of client visits per week,
- number of new job orders (client requirements) per week,
- number of candidate interviews conducted per week,
- number of resumes sent to clients per week,
While there's no doubt that these are important elements of the job, the priorities will vary.
It's a bit like measuring a software developer's output simply on the number of lines of code they produce. (100 lines of efficient code is much better then 1000 lines of rubbish code!).
Apply "what if" scenarios to your KPIs, and be careful what you wish for
What do you recognise employees for??
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