This is the first in a series of posts by technology writer Paul Boutin about Rypple’s Social Performance Platform.

When it comes to recognizing and rewarding good employee behavior, many companies are still stuck in the past. Sure, some will let everyone use their iPhones for work, and maybe Marketing has a Twitter feed, but when it comes to acknowledging and praising great performance, managers and co-workers still resort to email, where messages quickly sink into the swamp of today’s inbox. That means the most influential channel of recognition is still word of mouth at the coffee machine – unless you count the tired old performance review that comes around months too late, if it comes around at all.

In the modern workplace, employees don’t respond to the carrots and sticks that worked in the era of the man in the gray flannel suit. They won’t hang in there hoping for promotions, seniority, or long-term benefits because they no longer expect to work at the same company for decades. They don’t care much about being praised or punished on a performance review, because they’ve learned that reviews on file no longer affect their long-term careers. That’s why Daniel Pink, the respected business author, says public recognition, not private, is second only to money as an employee motivator. Dr. Paul Marciano, the motivation and retention expert, puts recognition first on his list of workplace requirements.

How Rypple ‘Thanks’ Fits In

Rypple was created to give today’s workplace an always-on channel where recognition can be given instantly and shared with the right people. And unlike email, it remains visible on every employee profile, so it never gets lost or forgotten.  Rypple uses a social network format, which hundreds of millions of users have learned is an easy and efficient way to share information. With Rypple, you can tell someone they’re awesome—and make sure everyone else sees it, including the recipient’s manager.

It’s Easy to Recognize Great Work

Rypple helps you recognize employees in two ways: you can write a text post that appears instantly on your company’s Rypple feed; and you can select a badge that marks them as a rockstar, a ninja, or whatever honorific best fits your company culture. The post and badge formats are familiar to anyone who uses Facebook, Foursquare, and other popular social networks that have taken over the way people communicate in their personal lives. With Rypple, you can use these formats for work.

On Rypple, recognition posts and badges appear on the recipient’s screen, as well as the screens of other employees who either follow the main company feed or are connected to the recipient—much like Facebook friends who belong to the same group. Recognition also gets posted permanently to the employee’s profile. Whenever one employee looks at another’s profile, he or she sees all the past recognition that other employee has received, and from whom, starting with the most recent praise. It’s an instant snapshot of the employee’s reputation – no need to inquire at the coffee machine.

The Value of Real-Time Recognition 

Social networks are hot not because they’re trendy, but because people instinctively recognize their value for real-time communications, in short but important messages – the kind that documents and email don’t encourage.

Rypple replaces the ancient department-wide memo, and its successor the mailing list, with an even more instantaneous, participatory means of communication to teams working together.  Unlike memos and emails, a Rypple recognition post is easy to read and hard to overlook. Yet messages don’t overwhelm users in the manner of mass emails; they’re already sorted onscreen, and can be filtered with a click, without moving them into a message folder that will never be opened. For quick shout-outs and echoes of acclaim, a social network is the perfect format.

How To Use Rypple ‘Thanks’

The best way to use Rypple for recognition is to do it quickly. Post praise or hand out a badge with a quick message, rather than trying to compose the perfect speech. On a social network, other users don’t expect one. In fact, they’d be bored. At the same time, call out the specific action that you’re recognizing, so both the employee and others reading your post will know exactly what you want to see more of from them: “Great job at the meeting today! You were prepared for every one of their objections.” That’s all you need to say.

Make it Personal

Adding a badge is a great way to add meaning to recognition. Employees quickly learn to recognize badges on sight, and that they mean someone has gone beyond expectations. Combining a badge and a post lets you instantly tag a team member as a rockstar, while also specifying exactly how they rocked. Custom badges make the praise even more personal. What slang does the team currently use for someone who’s done something awesome? Make a badge for it. And Rypple lets you limit how often badges are awarded, so you only have one “employee of the month.”

Start Recognizing Your Team Today