EMPLOYEES		DAT	60	CUT	38	1/25/01	TIME: 2:03
	METZ HERE…  Do you have a job working for someone else?  Most of us do.  Or are you an employer?  Either way, you’ll want to take notice of the title of this book:  RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING EMPLOYEES.  The author is a Louisvillian, 
R. Brayton Bowen, President of The Howland Group, management consultants.  Reading the book, I think most people will be struck by the point Bowen makes that pay is not the most important factor when it comes to employee interest in a job.  Though not overlooking the importance of money, Bowen, addressing employers, writes about the many ways of saying thank you to employees (people who work for you), how to praise and energize employees.  By the way, folks, does that sound like your boss?  In one section of the book, Bowen refers to what he calls informal recognition of employees and then names a number of them:  TIME OFF WITH PAY, LUNCH “ON THE HOUSE,” CARDS AND LETTERS FOR ALL OCCASIONS -- for outstanding service, better solutions, top productivity and so forth…anything that says, “YOU’RE SPECIAL!  How do you like that list? --- sounds like the workplace of your dreams, doesn’t it?  Realistically speaking, of course, all that good stuff may not take the place of a healthy raise in pay, but it certainly makes a point.  I particularly enjoyed this little excerpt from the book.  It tells employers:  “Don’t be afraid to ask your employees for opinions -- even if you think you know the answer.  There are at least 3 views to every process in your operation -- how you think things are done, how they actually are done, and how you and your employees would like them to be.” unquote.  Then again -- I can imagine many an employer insisting, quote, “Show me good work first -- then we’ll consider the raises!”  Still, I think Bowen strikes a universal chord when he emphasizes how much people -- all of us, boss and employee alike -- respond to appreciation.
This is Milton Metz 84WHAS.