Employee recognition: a little oil on the troubled waters of change.

Employee recognition practices and programs have suffered during the recent years of reengineering and downsizing. Frequently seen as a frill or as a direct cost that does not generate a direct benefit, recognition is often among the first expenses to go in a budget-cutting exercise. However, simple recognition can be an extremely powerful employee motivation tool. Regardless of how recognition might be treated at the organizational level, there remains much the individual supervisor can do to recognize employee accomplishments and thus enhance motivation and performance.