Managers, Let’s Get Personal!

“Business is business, it’s not personal.” Managers, you have probably heard this statement made in a blasé fashion, preceding a curt comment or aggressive proposal of action. Maybe you have even uttered the words yourself without truly considering what you said. Quit making quips to cover a business sin or faux pas and start recognizing this simple truth: business is only personal. Once enlightenment occurs, managers and HR professionals must get personal in the office. In order to promote a healthy work environment, whether to appeal to new-hires or maintain job satisfaction with employees, every employee award program needs to get personal.

Managers know that employee retention rates and turnover are ever-important statistics that correlate to job satisfaction. Similarly, management effectiveness relies heavily on this information. Sourcing, interviewing, hiring, and training processes all consume valuable time and company resources. The Society for Human Resource Management conducted a 2012 study revealing that in the last three years, job satisfaction has begun to slip and turnover rates are likely to increase.[1] How can you, as a manager or HR professional, avoid the headaches that come with turnover? Re-vamp recognition efforts within an employee award program a personal touch! It’s truly as simple as that.

Awards Network offers a wide variety of reward programs, tailored to meet your company’s specific goals and needs. To learn more about the best way to get personal with employee recognition programs and employee engagement programs, read on.

1. Health and wellness program - What is more intimate than a company showing they care about their employees’ wellbeing? Health and wellness are important, not to mention personal, topics in corporate America, but can be difficult to incorporate in an employee award program. The programs can be set up in a number of ways – discount to a gym, points for attending fitness classes or company athletic events, updated health tips on an employee recognition site. A wellness program with Awards Network means a dedicated Account Manager will consult with you to develop an effective strategy to ensure success. Regardless of how the personalized program is set up, healthy employees are likely to perform better and miss less work.
2. Points-base employee award program - Many employers have built a personal relationship with employees through points-based programs by rewarding certain behaviors or successes with a matching level of points that can be redeemed for gift cards, cash back or a variety of other items. Making the program visible to an entire team or department can encourage competition and increase participation. Awards Network’s Account Managers work closely with managers to get department-specific goals, with HR to maximize use of a restricted budget, and with employees to encourage participation. Personalized eCards can be sent by managers, leader boards can be posted, and top-performers listed via a custom-built incentive website. Nothing is more personal than recognizing individuals for their contributions!
3. Group v. individual incentives - Adding a personal touch to an incentive program means recognizing the individual, whether it was a solo act or a team effort. While group incentives help improve teamwork, individual incentives are more effective, as employees are able to control their own destiny. Offering both types of programs is beneficial, but should be separate programs. In a sales environment, for example, this program could involve a reward for the individual with the most sales of a certain product, as well as a team outing for the group with the highest overall results. Managers will see individuals eager to participate, but also active and vital parts of their teams.
4. Peer-recognition bonuses - Getting personal means getting in touch with the human element. Let’s face it: your employees do the work, not machines (a human had to see the need and write a program to automate a process!) so it is only fair to get personal when recognizing completed work! The ability to earn additional points (incentive, points-based program) or gifts (one-time recognition) on top of salary is an incentive that most would love to have withing an employee award program. One effective way Awards Network sets up a bonus program is to allow employees to nominate coworkers for points/gifts. Nominations, sent via custom eCards designed for your program, can be sent for help on a project, a birthday, going the extra mile in a team atmosphere, or any other reason you can think of! This is also a great way to encourage open discussion about improvement and growth for those who earn the bonus and those who don’t.
5. Social and networking events - Offering the opportunity for team gatherings and events will help build camaraderie among employees. Social activities boost morale and create strong bonds between team members at a personal level, encouraging them to work together and perform better on the job. Whether it’s a monthly outing or a reward for meeting goals, off-site events will help to create a more cohesive team. Awards Network may not be in the business of event-planning, but our office atmosphere has greatly benefited from social events and we’d be more than happy to share some ideas that have worked for us!

If your company is looking to start a new employee award program, update an existing employee award program, or even just looking to the future with an open mind, it’s time for business to get personal. Not only is getting personal a valuable lesson, but it can also be advantageous! Once managers and HR professionals build personal relationships with their employees, constructive recognition programs can be established. Once businesses reach out to customers with a personal touch, a deep rapport can be built to gain loyalty. Whether you choose to implement some or all of these suggestions or come up with some of your own, the key factor is figuring out what will work best for you and the members of your team.

[1] Society for Human Resource Management. (2012). 2012 employee job satisfaction and engagement: How employees are dealing with uncertainty. Alexandria, VA: SHRM.