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Employees invisible? Chances are your success will be, too.

John Worsley Simpson of the Financial Post writes about the Invisible Employee.

The Book: The Invisible Employee Realizing the Hidden Potential in Everyone (John Wiley & Sons) 140 pp., $25.99
The Authors: Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton

There’s an anecdote in this little gem of a book that made my blood boil. Chances are this sort of thing has happened to you. It has to me: A public relations officer in a major U.S. bank is assigned to write a cost-of-living report for the corporate economist. It’s a long and detailed process, and requires intelligence and skill. Walking down the hall one day, the PR officer overhears the economist talking to the PR director, saying, “Could you get this over to the girl who does the cost-of-living report.” The “girl” had met with this fellow a couple of times a month for more than a year, and he didn’t even know her name. There’s a word for people like that, but I’ll restrain myself. The purpose of this book is to tell employers and managers that not only is it human decency to recognize all your employees, it’s also good business.

The best and most loyal staffs are not created by financial compensation alone, but also by recognition, by acknowledgement and by public accolades for good work. And it pays off, the authors say. By heralding the achievements of its staff, a Colorado energy company reckons it has generated more than US$15-million in savings in one year from the suggestions made by engaged employees. The book cites many such cases, and a continuing Gallup survey supports their contention, finding that workers who are recognized are more productive, have fewer on-the-job accidents, and translate their satisfaction into customer satisfaction.