Incentive programs are a great addition to workplaces because they can achieve the many objectives companies have when well designed and properly implemented. I have compiled a list of common employee incentive program mistakes that are easy to avoid and will be presenting the first five this week and the subsequent five Wednesday.
Do Not: Award an Employee of the Quarter alone and expect a boost to overall motivation
Do: Award employee incentives for different, relevant reasons and expect positive returns
In order to get the most out of an employee award program, in the long and short term, the incentive budget should be spread across many employees to maximize motivation and potential. Employee milestones, customer service achievements, completed job/team specific objectives and overall organizational achievements can all be reasons to reward employees in addition to an employee of the period award.
Do Not: Develop an employee award program with no regard to organizational branding standards
Do: Consult marketing and other executives for their input on developing an incentive program
Employee incentives that target many participants gain credibility when they are branded similarly to other official organizational artwork, themes and websites. Developing an employee award program with the input from marketing and other employees sends a consistent message to recipients that the whole company is behind the program’s success and the direction of the award program came from the top-down; lending the incentive program legitimacy and creditability.
Do Not: Offer a completely online incentive program to participants who are unfamiliar with computers and the internet
Do: Consider employee demographics when offering an incentive program to develop an online, paper-based or hybrid program
Motivating diverse groups of people for most managers may seem like a hunt for the perfect one-size-fits all employee award program. After all, you must be able to communicate the incentive program, make it accessible to everyone and ensure it is relevant to all participants in order to engage and motivate employees. Taking employee demographics into consideration when developing the incentive program will make it more successful in the long run.
Do Not: Raise the bar so high that no one is motivated to participate
Do: Tailor goals to be relevant and attainable
I often advise clients who are running incentive programs for a year or longer to allow recipients to earn a gift from the first award collection in three months. Forming relevant incentive program goals should involve employee feedback in the planning stages and throughout the program to encourage employee participation and maximize results.
Do Not: Award gifts without considering the different tastes and preferences of employees
Do: Allow recipients to select from a wide assortment of gifts sure to motivate all of your employees
Offering a wide variety of lifestyle merchandise is an excellent way to motivate employees, and has been proven as a better incentive than cash or gift cards for numerous reasons. After a client of mine orders I often hear back from them that the employees really appreciated being able to select from a wide assortment of awards that was high quality and brand name.
When planning or re-evaluating an employee incentive program, keep the above advice in mind. Be sure to check back Wednesday for the last five of the top ten most common incentive program mistakes.