Studies show that a formal employee recognition program offering tangible rewards is the most effective way to motivate employees, more so than encouragement and positive feedback. According to an Incentive Research Foundation and Incentive Federation 2011 study, employees think more frequently about awards, which leads to increased interest in higher performance. Creating a recognition program is not a daunting task, so long that you have clear goals and keep your employees interests in mind. Do you want to reward length of service, sales achievements, reduced absenteeism? Here are 5 simple steps to start you out!
1. Plan your program. Decide the behaviors that you want to reward. This will then give you an idea of the goals you want the program to achieve, and identify how to measure the effectiveness of it.
2. Educate your team about it. Firstly, you’ll need to inform your managers and employees that the program is starting. Then you will want to tell them why the awards are being given. This encourages them to have future positive behavior.
3. Select the rewards. Make sure the rewards will appeal to employees of all types and ages in your workplace. You might want to get the input of employees when making your selections so that you make sure you are selecting awards they will appreciate.
4. Track the results. You need to have these results on hand so that you can evaluate the success of the program and be able to improve it over time.
5. Present awards. Schedule a time to properly honor recipients. You want to make it more of a presentation by telling the recipient, and others, of how their achievement made a difference to the company. This will increase the meaning of the rewards.
If you need help starting a recognition program, we can share examples that have worked with us and brainstorm ideas that will fit with your employees.
