I was intrigued by an article I read recently in Cristaux, a design & manufacturing company with a global vision that specializes in custom awards and other high-end forms of recognition. It rated the most famous awards in the world that annually bestow recognition and fame on their recipients. You may not be familiar with all of them… you may disagree with the rankings… but you probably have heard of many of them.

1: The Nobel Prize — multiple categories such as medicine, literature, chemistry, physics and many more.

2: The Booker Prize — Britain’s most prestigious literary award.

3: The Academy Awards — A billion viewers worldwide watch the Oscars handed out to actors, directors and best movies of the year.

4: The BAFTA Awards — The UK equivalent of the Emmys honors film and TV achievements.

5: The Palme d’Or — The most prestigious prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Recognition of hard work and talent counts! Awards presented within your own DME business will not be seen by millions—but they will inspire! I have seen studies that show recognition provided to workers and associates on the job is more important than monetary compensation.

There are times when more than just a “thank you” is needed to match the impact of a person’s efforts. Here are four reasons to give recognition awards in any DME business:

1. Implementing an idea that improves the workplace or reduces cost
2. Taking the lead on a new initiative
3. Helping to eliminate an unsafe work situation
4. Stepping up or going beyond an employee’s specific job description

On a personal level—while on the subject of awards—I would like to thank all of our customers for helping Applied Home Healthcare Equipment win a prestigious Weatherhead Award this past November. It recognizes OxyGo® and the Applied Companies for being one of Ohio’s fastest growing companies. There is no way we could have won it without your support and loyalty!