Don’t fall into trap of constantly giving praise for smallest little thing. Don’t be effusive over work that should be part of normal day-to-day expectations. This just devalues praise that you give. After all, you are not dealing with children who need to be encouraged at every step but with adults paid to produce a certain expected minimum performance. Save praise for something outstanding.

But don’t go to other extreme of constantly finding fault and systematically criticising even smallest little error or shortcoming. Most people are aware of and regret their occasional minor mistakes and will do their best to avoid repeating them. They don’t need to be reminded of them. If all you ever do is criticise, then your staff will eventually come to conclusion that whatever they do will not be good enough. They will stop trying.

If job performance really falls short of requirement then of course you must say so. Criticise work whilst staying calm and analytical. Base your comments on facts rather than opinions. Be specific. Don’t get angry and don’t make personal attacks. Emphasise how important it is to get job done correctly. Always bear in mind that purpose of criticism is to get things done better in future.

Whatever you do, don’t let occasion become a monologue. Use it to establish a two-way exchange of views. Criticism on its own is not enough. Find out causes. The meeting should be aimed at finding a solution for present and an improvement for future. Get individual concerned to acknowledge his past mistake and to agree on actions to take to avoid its repetition.

Always try to end interview on a lighter note. If you can, refer to some other work by same person that was well done. Praise that piece of work in order to soften blow of your earlier criticism and to demonstrate that good work is appreciated.

In conclusion, remember that worst thing you can do to any member of your staff is to ignore them. The worst thing you can do is to let weeks go by without a comment of any sort. The worst feeling anyone can experience is to be ignored, forgotten, taken for granted, and undervalued. Show them that you care – one way or another – and praise or criticise as appropriate.

Companies are finding that this sort of support, in addition to public recognition and praise of employees who donate their time and personal resources to various causes, helps them communicate to employees that they are valued as individuals. It also provides a forum through which company can show appreciation to employee for benefits it receives through positive association with employee.

According to Kurt Rechner, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tejas Securities Group, Inc., “Tejas Securities contributes regularly to charities as a way to give back to our community and to show support for our employees and companies with which we do business. For example, we’ve made contributions to Children’s Medical Center Foundation of Austin, Austin Film Society, and Meals on Wheels, each of which provides wonderful benefits to people in and around our home-base of Austin, Texas. In addition, we recently learned about great work being done by Big Brothers of Massachusetts, and we made contributions to that organization as well. I think it’s important for companies to openly communicate with their employees and business partners about their corporate giving activities. By sharing information, employees feel valued, organization learns about good organizations that need its support—and it creates a win: win all way around.”

Companies frequently find themselves contributing around themes. Some, for example, find their employees tend to want to support health-related causes, such as Breast Cancer Research or Alzheimer’s research or other causes that may have affected families and friends. Other organizations find their employees gravitate towards education-related initiatives, such as TJ Ford Foundation and Reading Is Fundamental. And many organizations find themselves contributing to organizations that help support children, especially organizations that provide esteem-building like Big Brothers/Big Sisters and those helping children with special needs, such as Special Olympics and Make a Wish Foundation.

With good causes being a good rallying point for boosting morale, many organizations use their corporate giving programs as team building tools to help unite their workers around a common charitable cause. They find that uniting workers for an outside cause helps reinforce their ability to work together for companies’ good as well.

So if you’re an employee who is active in a charity, consider extending value of your contributions by getting your employer involved. And if you’re an employer who wants to expand benefits of your contributions program, explore ways to involve your employees, too. The non-profits you support will thank you.

For additional resources on corporate giving and other types of philanthropy visit: www.onphilanthropy.com www.aafrc.org www.minnesotagiving.org