About two years ago I began blogging to provide readers with insight and advice on employee recognition and incentive programs. I wanted to commemorate this milestone by sharing the top ten most popular blog posts. Thank you to all of the readers and the positive feedback I have received!
Reduce Costs and Retain Employees & Customers with Incentive Programs (May 4, 2009)
When the economy presents challenges it also provides important opportunities to improve the way business is done. This article discussed how incentive programs can be designed to reduce costs and improve employee and customer retention. It was really no surprise to see this post is by far the most popular post.
Recognition Programs Boost Employee Retention Amid Recession (April 13, 2009)
Many times when managers face budget cuts their knee jerk reaction is to decrease budgets for employee recognition and incentive programs. Contrary to this reaction, recessions are one of the most important times to spend money in these areas in order to remain competitive and retain key employees during and after the economic decline.
Top Ten Reasons to Award Tangible Corporate Gifts Instead of Cash (February 16, 2009)
Although I have blogged in the past about the drawbacks of giving cash bonuses and gift cards instead of merchandise rewards, this post put the reasons in easy to understand terms. The list includes ten simple reasons why cash cannot compete with recognition and rewards and I really feel it is worth the short read.
Create and Sustain Employee Motivation Momentum with Employee Incentives (April 20, 2009)
I really enjoyed writing this post and providing advice on things managers can do daily, weekly and monthly to sustain employee motivation momentum. This is a topic close to my heart as I truly believe good managers can create and sustain employee engagement. Reading this post reminds me of a tweet I wrote earlier this year. Back in July people on Twitter were talking about unacceptable things and I posted this tweet, “It is #unacceptable to go one day at work without giving a simple thank you to a co-worker/manager for their help & contributions.”
Monitoring Incentive Program Impact during Tough Economic Times (April 27, 2009)
Providing feedback to clients on how the incentive program is performing is not only important during recessions but also during economic prosperity. When it comes time to get approval for a budget, having measurable results on the incentive program is vital.
5 Approaches to Peer to Peer Recognition Award Programs (March 2, 2009)
I would have to say that my most creative and active clients have integrated peer recognition into their overall incentive program. Based on my experiences with peer to peer recognition I compiled this list of approaches to peer recognition awards and I am happy to see this on the top ten most popular blogs.
How to Successfully Kickoff an Incentive Program (March 16, 2009)
I wrote this topic as I found many of my new clients with incentive programs needed guidance on how to successfully launch the program. The post includes five tips for a successful kickoff.
Peer to Peer Recognition Program Best Practices (March 9, 2009)
As I mentioned, peer recognition programs allow managers to be creative and peer award programs permit everyone in an organization to contribute to an overall recognition culture. This post includes seven best practices for peer recognition award programs.
How to Write an Effective Employee Recognition Letter (March 30, 2009)
This was another topic that I really felt needed to be discussed in a post as many new clients of mine are at a loss for what to include in their recognition letter. The post lists out three different approaches to writing an employee recognition letter-all with the bottom line that the letter must be sincere.
New Research Reveals Wellness Program Impact (February 23, 2009)
A lot of research has been and is being conducted on the return on investment possible with wellness incentive programs. From reducing healthcare costs to improving employee engagement, this post discussed what companies can expect when implementing a wellness incentive program.
These top ten posts cover a large variety of topics and I hope you have time to check each one out. I feel like the blog has progressed a lot in the past two years from general topics to much more focused articles and my list of future topics to blog about grows every week. Thanks again to everyone for your continued support and supply of relevant blog ideas and research!