I was participating in last week’s #GenYChat, a weekly Twitter chat founded and moderated by @WriterChanelle, when this question was asked of participants: “How much praise is too much praise? Are #GenY’ers given too much by #GenX and #Boomer parents and/or bosses? #GenYChat.” The question had many participants scratching their heads.
Generation Y is called all sorts of names by older professionals: entitled, narcissistic, and lazy to name a few. Abundant praise showered upon us as children is often blamed for Generation Y’s self-centered, egotistical ways. After all, Generation Y is the first to receive participation trophies.
But, when it comes to the workplace, Generation Y isn’t the only one susceptible to too much praise.
To keep morale high in tough economic times, employers may be experiencing the pitfalls of giving too much praise in the workplace among all employees, regardless of age.
Here are four signs your boss is giving too much praise in the workplace, adapted from chron.com:
Egos Are Running Wild
An ego is often a necessary tool to be successful in business; however, over-inflated egos disrupt business and hurt company morale. Egocentric employees who are given frequent verbal praise may become menaces in the workplace, convinced that they’re better performers and better employees.
Productivity Is Suffering
It’s unfortunate, but true: some professionals purposely set the bar low so they appear to be doing a phenomenal job when completing a minimal amount of work. A boss who praises an employee for mediocre work or minimal improvements is setting his company up for a productivity disaster. On a similar note, an employee who is told she is doing an excellent job on everything she does may believe she has no room for improvement and will, therefore, not grow professionally.
A Divide Is Occurring
Some bosses fall into the trap of selective praise. Selective praise is that given to only a few employees. While these employees may actually be doing a better job than other employees, ill-feelings may arise from employees not receiving praise. Often, they’ll complain that the boss is “playing favorites,” and an “us versus them” mentality may threaten office cohesion.
Praise Has Lost Its Power
Trophies given for participation don’t allow children to experience the sweet taste of victory. In the same sense, praise given too often in the workplace quickly loses its significance. A boss who sends special recognition emails to every employee for every completed task may feel like he’s helping morale, but he’s really just spamming his employees.
To read the article “The Disadvantages of Giving Too Much Verbal Praise to an Employee,” visit chron.com. #GenYChat occurs every Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST on Twitter.
Is praise given too often in the workplace? When is a time you or a co-worker received too much praise?
