Most companies celebrate the big project launches. But what about those small tokens of appreciation?
In Schibsted the custom-made Kudos tool is gaining traction. It was first developed and tried in Schibsted Tech Polska in Poland.
Now it is being rolled out also to the Schibsted Products and Technology offices in Oslo, Stockholm, London and Barcelona.
Kudos (from the Ancient Greek: κῦδος) is acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement. (Wikipedia)
The idea is simple: Not much motivates us more at work than recognition!
“Experience the great power of “Thank you”!, encouraged Tina Stiegler, EVP People, Change and Strategy, when the tool was launched globally.
From colleague to colleague
Kudos are given from colleague to colleague – and all are displayed on a digital Kudos wall. Already the wall displays 600 Kudos of great work.
Each employee can give one Kudos per month – and all the Kudos are visible to all the other employees. After receiving three Kudos, you receive a small voucher to be used at a local coffee bar.
Only a cup of coffee?
Yes, as HR Business Partner Aleksandra Grzybowska in Schibsted Tech Polska says it:
“Remember, a free coffee is sweet, but the KUDOS of your colleagues is even sweeter than a Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino!”
Helping people give praise
The idea came out of the results from the Schibsted Employee Survey last year, explains Aleksandra Grzybowska, HR Business Partner in Schibsted Tech Polska. Some employees told in the survey that they did not feel appreciated at work.
“We wanted to do something about that – to remind people to show appreciation to each other,” says Grzybowska.
So the Kudos tool was created. It is a simple web app to thank a colleague for great work or good help. But because each employee can only give one Kudos per month, he/she has to think through carefully who to give it to.
The Kudos wall
An important part of the application is the Kudos wall, where everyone can see who has given a Kudos to whom – and why.
Most employees give Kudos for specific help in a project or when a colleague went the extra mile in other ways, for instance making sure a new employee feels at home in Schibsted.
Much work in Schibsted Products and Technology is collaboration across different locations. That is also displayed in many of the Kudos sent in by employees after the tool was spread to more offices. Many of them praise colleagues who work in other Schibsted offices than their own.
