Survey: Executives at Smallest Firms Say They Recognize Staff Often Enough

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The smaller the company, the more recognition workers may be receiving, suggests a new survey by Accountemps. Chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed at small companies (20-49 workers) were twice as likely to report that they thank their staff often enough for doing a great job than their peers at larger firms (1,000+ workers): 69 percent versus 34 percent. Among businesses of all sizes, 65 percent of CFOs felt they do an adequate job of recognizing their employees.

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on interviews with more than 2,000 CFOs from a stratified random sample of companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. markets.

CFOs were asked, "Do you feel you thank your employees often enough when they do a good job on an assignment or project?" Their responses, by company size:

Looking at major metropolitan areas, CFOs from Salt Lake City (78 percent), Washington, D.C. (74 percent) and New York (73 percent) topped the list of respondents who said they provide enough praise.

"Employee recognition at large companies can be challenging due to the size of the organization and the number of individuals each manager may supervise," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of the recently released Human Resources Kit for Dummies^®, 3rd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "But recognizing great work is time well spent by leaders. To remain engaged, people need to know their contributions are valued."

In a separate survey by Accountemps, three-quarters (76 percent) of office workers interviewed said their manager provides adequate recognition for good work.

Accountemps offers five tips for managers on effectively recognizing employees:

1. Give timely praise. When employees go above and beyond the call of duty, don't wait to acknowledge it. The sooner you recognize the achievement, the greater the impact your action will have.
2. Make it count. Cash isn't the only reward that carries weight. Vacation days, movie tickets and even handwritten cards can mean just as much. Ask employees what type of acknowledgement they find most satisfying to ensure your recognition program remains relevant to them.
3. Scale recognition to fit the achievement. A heartfelt "thank you" may be enough for smaller accomplishments, but truly outstanding performance should be acknowledged more ceremoniously.
4. Take note of accomplishments. Track employee achievements so you can highlight them during feedback sessions and performance reviews. 
5. Foster a culture of recognition. Praise from colleagues is often as meaningful as a nod from a manager. So be sure to support a corporate culture that encourages members of your team to commend each other openly for a job well done.

About the Surveys
The national surveys of CFOs and workers were developed by Accountemps and conducted by an independent research firm. The CFO survey is based on more than 2,000 telephone interviews with CFOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees in more than 20 of the largest U.S. markets. For the study to be statistically representative and ensure companies from all segments are included, the sample was stratified by number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper proportion of employees within each market. The worker survey was conducted over the telephone and includes responses from 362 working adults 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.

About Accountemps
Accountemps is the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The company has more than 345 offices worldwide and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

SOURCE Accountemps