Viewpoints Recognition scheme mistakes By John Sylvester, P&MM Motivation Employee recognition schemes are usually implemented by HR teams wanting to attract, motivate and retain talented and productive employees which, of course, is key to business success. What drove your business to implement a formal employee recognition scheme may differ from the business next door but generally there are some common themes, such as: Increasing employee retention Supporting innovative thinking Addressing performance issues Improving productivity Reducing staff turnover. Most businesses seem to understand that not all employees are motivated by the same things and not all recognition schemes serve the same purpose. However, we still meet companies who have implemented recognition programmes but found that they simply didn’t have any impact, so they stopped them. Our experience shows that if your employee recognition scheme isn’t working for you then it’s probably due to one of these reasons: Choosing rewards your employees don’t desire The biggest mistake we see are rewards that fail to inspire, motivate and engage employees. This is because the people running the scheme have chosen rewards that they think their employees want or rewards that appeal to them. You can’t please everyone all of the time but you can ensure that you have a range of options that suit most people. Start by consulting with your employees on the types of rewards they would like to be available and the types of rewards they don’t want. You can do this through questionnaires, town hall meetings, team meetings and even online polls through your email, intranet and tools such as Survey Monkey. Once you have the insight you can use this to plan your rewards. Rewards don’t have to be expensive, there are plenty of low/no-cost options such as a plaque, congratulatory certificate or the CEO’s parking spot for a week. Not communicating your scheme Typically, the induction process for a new employee will involve an introduction to the company reward and recognition programme, but that’s where communication about the programme stops. If you’re not communicating the benefits of continually using your scheme then you might as well not have one. Communicating your recognition programme is probably the most vital element. If you’re not engaging with your employees through ongoing communication then you could be missing out on all the benefits of having a recognition scheme. Use every available communication tool, such as noticeboards, email, intranet, mobile messaging and meetings to let your employees know about updates to the programme. Use case studies of those who have been rewarded and promote the behaviours and values that qualify for recognition. Unfair schemes Every employer starts out with the very best intentions when it comes to employee recognition but some schemes result in complaints about the behaviours and targets that are recognised and rewarded, complaints about favouritism, plus jealousy and employees being overly competitive with each another. These are all easy to avoid. You must make sure that your recognition programme is transparent: the behaviours and targets that will be rewarded should be clearly communicated as should the processes. Consider implementing a peer-to-peer recognition scheme where your employees nominate their co-workers, as this is avoid any complaints about favouritism by managers. Also avoid offering limited rewards, for example, to the first 10 employees to achieve a sales target – what about employees working in departments other than sales? Fail to plan = plan to fail A lot of the mistakes I see are usually due to a lack of planning when setting up an employee recognition scheme. With a little bit of awareness of the pitfalls and by taking the time to properly plan and implement, you’ll be well on your way to a successful scheme that engages and motivates your employees. Latest viewpoints How to keep employees motivated through times of growth Debra Corey is Group Reward Director at Reward Gateway, the world’s leading provider of employee engagement⦠Share A gift for engagement Gail Cohen, Director General of the UK Gift Card and Voucher Association (UKGCVA), says this is an exciting time for an industry that is poised for growth Share What Rewards do employees value the most? 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Recognition scheme mistakes By John Sylvester, P&MM Motivation Employee recognition schemes are usually implemented by HR teams wanting to attract, motivate and retain talented and productive employees which, of course, is key to business success. What drove your business to implement a formal employee recognition scheme may differ from the business next door but generally there are some common themes, such as: Increasing employee retention Supporting innovative thinking Addressing performance issues Improving productivity Reducing staff turnover. Most businesses seem to understand that not all employees are motivated by the same things and not all recognition schemes serve the same purpose. However, we still meet companies who have implemented recognition programmes but found that they simply didn’t have any impact, so they stopped them. Our experience shows that if your employee recognition scheme isn’t working for you then it’s probably due to one of these reasons: Choosing rewards your employees don’t desire The biggest mistake we see are rewards that fail to inspire, motivate and engage employees. This is because the people running the scheme have chosen rewards that they think their employees want or rewards that appeal to them. You can’t please everyone all of the time but you can ensure that you have a range of options that suit most people. Start by consulting with your employees on the types of rewards they would like to be available and the types of rewards they don’t want. You can do this through questionnaires, town hall meetings, team meetings and even online polls through your email, intranet and tools such as Survey Monkey. Once you have the insight you can use this to plan your rewards. Rewards don’t have to be expensive, there are plenty of low/no-cost options such as a plaque, congratulatory certificate or the CEO’s parking spot for a week. Not communicating your scheme Typically, the induction process for a new employee will involve an introduction to the company reward and recognition programme, but that’s where communication about the programme stops. If you’re not communicating the benefits of continually using your scheme then you might as well not have one. Communicating your recognition programme is probably the most vital element. If you’re not engaging with your employees through ongoing communication then you could be missing out on all the benefits of having a recognition scheme. Use every available communication tool, such as noticeboards, email, intranet, mobile messaging and meetings to let your employees know about updates to the programme. Use case studies of those who have been rewarded and promote the behaviours and values that qualify for recognition. Unfair schemes Every employer starts out with the very best intentions when it comes to employee recognition but some schemes result in complaints about the behaviours and targets that are recognised and rewarded, complaints about favouritism, plus jealousy and employees being overly competitive with each another. These are all easy to avoid. You must make sure that your recognition programme is transparent: the behaviours and targets that will be rewarded should be clearly communicated as should the processes. Consider implementing a peer-to-peer recognition scheme where your employees nominate their co-workers, as this is avoid any complaints about favouritism by managers. Also avoid offering limited rewards, for example, to the first 10 employees to achieve a sales target – what about employees working in departments other than sales? Fail to plan = plan to fail A lot of the mistakes I see are usually due to a lack of planning when setting up an employee recognition scheme. With a little bit of awareness of the pitfalls and by taking the time to properly plan and implement, you’ll be well on your way to a successful scheme that engages and motivates your employees.
How to keep employees motivated through times of growth Debra Corey is Group Reward Director at Reward Gateway, the world’s leading provider of employee engagement⦠Share
A gift for engagement Gail Cohen, Director General of the UK Gift Card and Voucher Association (UKGCVA), says this is an exciting time for an industry that is poised for growth Share
What Rewards do employees value the most? Debra Corey is Group Reward Director at Reward Gateway, the world’s leading provider of employee engagement⦠Share
UKFast’s MD tell us why he supports Employee Motivation Day CEO and founder of UKFast, Lawrence Jones, discusses the importance of employee motivation, and why the company is⦠Share
Millennials: How to motivate Debra Corey is Group Reward Director at Reward Gateway, the world’s leading provider of employee engagement⦠Share
Running Heroes brings innovation and rewards Running Heroes are bringing unparalleled motivation to thousands. The sedentary bad habits of modern societies may⦠Share
It’s the small things that make a difference Introducing a meaningful system of incentives or rewards can help retain and motivate staff and also recruit the best⦠Share
Standing out from the crowd with risk-free promotions The internet and mobile devices are powerful weapons in consumers’ armoury, enabling them to seek out the lowest⦠Share
Taking the initiative Jamie MacKenzie, Marketing Director at Sodexo Benefits and Reward Services, tells us about the company’s latest projects Share