Gift Programs

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Prepare for the Job Hop with Employee Recognition Programs

Is your organization ready for the great job hop of 2010? This very question was asked back in November of 2009 by Vivian Mora on her blog, What Works at Work. In her post, Mora hypothesizes that the treatment of employees from 2008 and 2009 is going to greatly affect voluntary turnover rates this year. Although some companies handled this situation better than others, organizations need to reward and recognize high performing employees in order to increase retention. I have laid out some tips below on how companies can establish a strategic employee recognition program that will increase employee loyalty.

Provide Employees with an Outlet for Recognition

As Paul Facella noted in his article on inspiring employees through recognition, “Make recognition a policy, not a perk.” Strategic recognition programs provide managers and employees with a structured method for rewarding and recognizing co-workers consistently. In general, this means that employees know where to go to write down comments or share a story on why a co-worker deserves recognition. This form is then usually submitted for consideration but can also be directly sent to the employee being recognized and even to the employee’s manager. Having a formal recognition process in place allows employees to provide esteemed recognition on a regular basis.

Engage Employees from Top to Bottom to Participate

Companies that have a formal recognition program in place need to provide easy access to the program and also communicate the program in order to maximize participation. Depending on employee demographics and the structure of the organization, employee recognition programs can be online, in print or both. Also, employees should be regularly informed on what the program is used for and how they can use it.

Tie Employee Recognition to a System of Recognition Awards

As employees submit forms to formally recognize co-workers, this feedback should be connected to tangible system of rewards. Some of my clients include a standard set of reasons why the employee recognition is submitted and depending on the reason selected, the recipient may receive points or a recognition award. For example, if an employee is recognized for having a winning attitude during a confrontation with a customer, the employee may receive a certain amount of points that can be banked or spent or he/she might receive an award booklet to select a recognition award out of. Sometimes companies will require that a particular number of employee recognition forms be submitted before a recognition award can be earned.

Collect Employee Recognition Comments and Develop a Best Practices Wall

When an employee recognizes someone, where does the recognition form go? Usually this information is kept for consideration at review time or just recorded and forgotten. A handful of my clients collect recognition comments and develop a list of best practices that are displayed online on a virtual wall or in a common area such as a hallway or break room. This recognition display doesn’t need to necessarily list out who the recognition came from or was given to, but can serve as a way to show what kinds of behaviors the company is looking to positively reinforce. I feel that recognition walls are a creative way to demonstrate the positive feedback the recognition program committee has received over time and highly recommend this to anyone with an employee recognition program.

A Gallup poll revealed that 65% of Americans did not receive recognition in the past year while a United States Department of Labor study showed that one of the leading reasons for voluntary turnover is people not feeling appreciated. By implementing a strategic plan for your employee recognition program, your company can curtail the effects of the great job hop and retain its best workers.

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