I’ve heard that my boss is thinking of putting my name forward for a workplace award. My immediate reaction was “I wish he wouldn’t.” I’m not sure why I feel that way - on the one hand, I’m touched that he would want to do that, but on the other hand, I don’t like the attention. I prefer to toil in anonymity, I guess.
How about you? would you want your name to go forward for a workplace award? (and it’s not just a lucite tombstone, as discussed by some other posters in another thread awhile ago - it’s an award that has some recognition value.)
I always appreciate workplace awards, especialy the ones that come with prize money attached, and some do.
Nowadays, it’s not a good idea to “toil in anonymity”, IMO. Then there’s nobody to cheer your praises when layoff time comes, so you’re the first to be let go. Whereas if people know about your achievements – particularly people higher up than your immediate manager – then they might pick someone else instead. This has happened several times where I have worked.
I don’t really like them, no. I’m not comfortable with that kind of public recognition. However, I tend to work for small companies where word gets around to upper management if a supervisor likes (or dislikes) you enough, so it’s not exactly an anonymous workplace.
It depends. When they’re obviously just given out on a “whose turn is it this month?” basis, they’re a waste of time and a joke among the staff. If, on the other hand, it’s actually awarded for real dedication to the job, then absolutely. Your close work colleagues probably already know how well you work, but it doesn’t hurt for others to find out too.
If it is sincere, it is nice to be recognized for hard work. Hopefully, it will lead to a good reputation, which could lead to a better eval or at least a little edge on all the little perks that go around (who gets one of the new Blackberrys, who gets new office chairs, etc)!
That was an overstatement - by the old rule of “Does your Boss’s Boss know who you are and what you do?” I’m okay. I just find the idea of being singled out bothersome. For instance, a couple of years ago a co-worker told me he was thinking of nominating me for one of these things - I actively discouraged him from doing so, and as far as I know, he never did.
I have trouble putting my feelings on this into words.
Takes me back to my school days and the disparaging attitude of my classmates: oooh look who’s won an AWARD! If there’s cash attached to it then yay, but I don’t want my name on the wall or anything.
We used to have awards/bonuses for teachers who scored highest on their evals and student surveys. Most people who won bonuses were accused behind their backs of being sellouts.
I won one at work a few years ago. No-one was very pleased when I was announced as the winner and it turned out that I had not gone to the ceremony, even though I had been expressly invited.
I never cared for them because they were never balanced. As an example, if someone received an award or recognition for say, high production in their area, why not balance it with recognition for the individual who totally dropped the ball in their area because practically everyone agrees they’re a moron?
They could call the latter something like “I Really Screwed The Pooch This Week” Award. After that ceremony and while still at work, everyone gets drunk and engages in a night of decadent and depraved debauchery.
We have them at work. I think they’re a bit of a wank really and because the employees low down the totem poll don’t really buy into it, there seems to be a disproportionate number of middle management being nominated. Having said that, if they insist on having the damn things, then yes it would be nice to be recognised. I’d prefer to be nominated without winning the award that way I get recognition without having to attend any kind of function. My crew and I were recognised unofficially for a flight we did recently and it was nice to have a pat on the back.
Love 'em! Of course the fifty quid in vouchers helped but I got that award because I did something very bespoke for a manager just because he was so lovely to me. I wasn’t expecting anything back out of it. I’ve still got the letter that went with the award and that means a lot to me.
If it’s just your generic ‘employee of the month’ nonsense then they are a bit rubbish.
I always say, if you were going to give me a $5 plaque, just give me the $5. Or a gift certificate to somewhere. I don’t really need your silly plaque.
However, when I do get these awards, you bet your bippie I put them in my own comments in my review.
If they are given instead of raises or bonuses, that is incredibly shitty. That said, if they are giving them out, I want as many as I can get. What’s the harm? It can only help with future evaluations or save your ass in a future layoff. Maybe I’ll take some light harassment from co-workers, but the upside is well with it. If nothing else, it’s another thing you can put on your resume.
I’m comfortably well off, and while I won’t turn down more money if it’s part of an award, the reality is that what the taxman doesn’t take is mostly going into my retirement account, so it doesn’t make much of an impact on my life right now.
That was the long way of saying that the actual recognition means more to me.
But really, the fact that my boss thinks I’m doing a good job means more than formal recognition, and that the people I work with on a regular basis know I can be counted on to hold up my end of a project means even more to me than that.