Will praise spoil our staff?

Dear Aunty B,

I have a problem with a manager who never praises his employees. It’s a real problem because even though he is a good manager, the staff say they never feel like they are doing a really good job.

It also means they perceive his feedback in a harsh light because he doesn’t balance it with the positive. I have asked him why he is not more positive and he says it spoils staff who then get a big head and want a pay rise.

He says they also think they are better than they are and go off and get a better job. While his staff complain they don’t leave and they do respect him so maybe he is right.

What do you think?

Should praise more,
Victoria

Dear should praise more,

What do I think? I think that staff every day get up in the morning and choose to come and work for you. They then spend the next eight or nine or 10 hours of their life working hard, staying focused and trying to deliver on the vision if there is one.

That’s a sizable chunk of their lives trying to do the best by you. So why the hell wouldn’t you give them great feedback when they do a great job?

I would suggest the measly manager who can’t praise his staff came from a distant, harsh background and was never praised as a child himself. Or else he is a sociopath and can’t feel the pleasure that comes with praise.

Make it part of his performance review that he regularly gives positive feedback to staff. Not only will it make them perform better but praise also reinforces the company’s values, goals and vision in a very effective way. And I have no doubt that it will also retain staff in the long run.

Be smart,
Your Aunty B

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