Tales from the Corporate Frontlines:Choosing an Effective Employee Recognition Program
This article relates to the Recognition competency, commonly evaluated in employee satisfaction surveys. It tells the story of how one company found the right recognition program by paying attention to employee feedback. This competency also explores what type of behavior is appreciated and rewarded within your organization. Studies show that employees who receive regular recognition and praise are more likely to increase their individual productivity levels, increase engagement with their colleagues, and stay longer at the organization. Evaluating this competency can be especially useful if your organization is experiencing low productivity levels or ineffective teamwork.
This short story, Choosing an Effective Employee Recognition Program, is part of AlphaMeasure's compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines. It tells the story of how one company found the right recognition program by paying attention to employee feedback.
Anonymous Submission
I am currently working as a human resources associate at a medium sized manufacturing firm. I was recently assigned a new project - to set up an employee recognition program and procure the prizes to be awarded.
Top-level management recently conducted an employee satisfaction survey and decided that a new recognition program (there had been one years ago, but it faded due to lack of interest) would spur lagging productivity and boost morale. When given the task of program development, I asked questions - how do we determine which employees get recognition? What kinds of prizes do we want to award? You'll receive all the details in a memo, I was told.
The next management meeting yielded a memo instructing me to implement a program that included the following prizes ---a reserved parking spot next to the building for one month, a framed certificate of excellence, and a "top performance" ribbon, to be awarded at each monthly employee meeting, on the basis of supervisor recommendation.
After the first monthly meeting, I tried to gather employee feedback. The response to the first round of awards at the meeting was lukewarm to downright chilly, and I was curious as to why.
I checked the company suggestion box later that day, and quickly discovered the reason for the cool reception. It was filled with slips of paper, their messages basically summed up by the following:
" We feel underpaid and unappreciated. A parking space, plaque or ribbon just doesn't cut it. We need more money."
I put aside a few of the more articulate messages and passed them on to management. Although the company was not in a position to alleviate the employees perceived wage inadequacy (which, by the way, was a valid complaint when comparing our wages to those of similar companies) it was clear that the recognition program needed to be changed. The new version offered---two paid days off, a $200 gift card for a local chain store, and some smaller cash bonuses.
Response to the new program was great. Our employees understood that large scale increases in salary were just not possible at the time, and the effort to provide some monetary incentive for excellent performance made a huge difference in both productivity and morale.
© 2005 AlphaMeasure, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its entirety, includes the author bio information, and all links remain active.
Measure. Report. Improve your organization with AlphaMeasure employee satisfaction surveys.
Josh Greenberg is President of AlphaMeasure, Inc.
AlphaMeasure provides organizations of all sizes a powerful web based method for measuring employee satisfaction, determining employee engagement, and increasing employee retention.
Launch your employee satisfaction surveys with AlphaMeasure.
 Google News Updated : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:50:04 GMT Obama, McCain stretch facts in debate - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain stretched facts, sometimes past the breaking point, as they addressed the financial crisis and more during their second presidential debate. McCain, Obama Laud Buffett When Asked About Treasury Candidates Obama-McCain debate Question 2: How will Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:01:16 GMT World markets mixed amid ongoing bank jitters - Forbes
Forbes - By PAN PYLAS 10.07.08, 5:55 PM ET World stock markets were mixed on Tuesday as banking stocks on both sides of the Atlantic took another pounding despite the US Federal Reserve's announcement that it will buy huge amounts of short-term debt in an ... TOPWRAP 15-Fed steps in but US stocks dive; UK to rescue banks Patrice Hill THE WASHINGTON TIMES Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:03:58 GMT Fed's new tool: Business loan bailout - CNNMoney.com
CNNMoney.com - By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Federal Reserve announced a new program to help the battered market for short-term business loans - taking its closest step yet to lending directly to businesses. Fed's Credit Tactic Has Small Effect Fed, in emergency move, will lend to companies Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:33:46 GMT Obama And McCain On Small Business - CBS News
CBS News - The fifth installment of the series examines where each candidate stands on helping small businesses. Supported the government bailout aimed at easing the credit crunch. Obama-McCain debate Question 5: What sacrifices Ad Wars: McCain Dishonorable and Obama Untrustworthy Publ.Date : Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:28:47 GMT Judge Orders 17 Guantánamo Detainees Freed - New York Times
New York Times - By WILLIAM GLABERSON WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Bush administration to release 17 detainees at Guantánamo by the end of the week, the first such ruling in nearly seven years of legal disputes over the administration’s detention ... White House "Deeply Concerned" With Guantanamo Ruling US judge orders Guantanamo Uighurs freed Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:49:29 GMT Ayers and Obama later worked on Chicago charitable boards together - CNN
CNN - By Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnston CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- More than 30 years ago, William Ayers was a fugitive leader of the Weather Underground, an antiwar terrorist group known for its bombings of police stations, the Pentagon and the US ... Connelly: My tea with a 'terrorist' What’s The Obama-Ayers Connection? Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:55:44 GMT Bloomberg’s Gift to the People: Moi - New York Times
New York Times - By CLYDE HABERMAN An e-mail pen pal of mine in Alaska (no, not her, someone else) wrote the other day mentioning Marshal Philippe PĂ©tain. UPDATE 1-NYC lawmakers to weigh bill raising term limits Bill to end term limits introduced in City Council Publ.Date : Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:08:24 GMT Work From Home |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Imagine that you open a meeting by saying, "We need... Read More Most people think real change in an organization occurs as... Read More If you are completely happy with where you and your... Read More Assignment of Claims Act of 1986"....What does this mean for... Read More COMPANY/ORGANIZATIONA South Florida hospital. The CEO of the hospital saw... Read More Janet DiClaudio, who was charge of medical records at two... Read More I first met Roland (not his real name) in 1972.... Read More The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with... Read More Gratitude might seem like a soft or even an obvious... Read More I have a short story to share with you about... Read More Where does the time go? Billable time. As a consultant,... Read More In any organisation, progress is frequently impaired by the time... Read More Kinds of Workplace ConflictsLet's start by identifying where conflicts happen.... Read More Q: I am an executive at a large company and... Read More Criticism has the power to do good when there is... Read More The world has always been mixed with the... Read More Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self- indulgent Sociopath. Avoid the B.O.S.S. syndrome with... Read More If you're not satfied with the results of your management... Read More The problem with communication is the illusion that it has... Read More "Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like... Read More Sometimes when I conduct my workshop on Effective Meetings, one... Read More There is no substitute for soliciting the opinions of the... Read More There are many reasons why good employees quit and go... Read More Implementing an ISO 9001 system represents a major effort. However,... Read More Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Adsense
websites
Why Would Anyone Do That in My Meeting?
How to Help Your Company Become a World Class Company
Why You Should Hold One More Meeting
Invoice Factoring for Goverment Vendors
Improving Patient Sensitivity in Doctors and Hospital Staff
A Winning Way to Handle New Ideas
CEOs Role in Family Business
So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances
The Gift of Gratitude
5 Creative Evolutionary Leadership Niche Strategies!
Seeking Help
Time-Wasting Problems - One Question to Move You Forward
Managing Workplace Conflicts
Teaching Large Companies To Think Like The Little Guys
Make Them GLAD Youre Their Boss
Success: A Wholistic Perspective
Are You A B.O.S.S. -- Boisterous, Omnipotent, Self Indulgent, Sociopath
Management Training: Are You Satisfied With The Results?
Five Principles of Effective Communication
Turnover is Not a Problem
Why Training Fails
Creating Advisory Boards
Employee Turnover: Seven Reasons Why People Quit Their Jobs
Steps to Build ISO 9001 Compliant Program
Business Innovation ? Organizational Structure
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Assessing Managers for International Competence
How do you select staff for international assignments? It's an... Read More
Organisation Tips For The Mobile Executive
Despite the fact that everyone sighs "How glamorous!", the life... Read More
The 5 Obsessions of a Passionate Employee
A recent report entitled "How Google Grows?and Grows?and Grows" stated... Read More
Interviewing Candidates: 3 Ways to Avoid Snap Judgments
Have you ever hired the wrong person? If so, perhaps... Read More
Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing in a Business Perspective
Business IntelligenceBusiness Intelligence has become a very important activity in... Read More
Problem Solving the Problem Solving Meeting
We go to meetings to share information, to report on... Read More
Once Upon a Conflict
Once upon a time there lived an innocent, hardworking manager.... Read More
How To Get What You Really Want
As a small business owner, entrepreneur or independent professional, it's... Read More
Knowledge Management - Lessons Learned and How To Identify Them
Many organisations use the term "lessons learned" to describe the... Read More
Delegation: When to Delegate, Who to Delegate to
There are some very simple guides for delegation.Most people delegate... Read More
Getting Your Employees Attention Back to Work
It is 9:00 am on a Monday morning. Do you... Read More
Retaining An Expert -- What Every Business Owner Needs To Know
As an entrepreneur, hiring an expert can be one of... Read More
Five Ways to Influence Change in Others
Because of my work as a consultant, trainer and coach... Read More
Strategic Clarity for Communication Management
Over the past few weeks I've been developing plans for... Read More
The Measurement of Manager Training
THE MEASUREMENT OF TRAINING: Evaluation is one of the most... Read More
Growing Profits is Easy!
Everyone involved in running a business from the smallest start-up... Read More
Turnover is Not a Problem
"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like... Read More
Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review
Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More
Are You Ready to Sell Your Business
Make Sure You Understand Your Motivation for SellingAre you thinking... Read More
Toxic Bosses
What's everyone's favorite topic around the water cooler? Bad bosses!... Read More
1000 Managers Turned Their Plans Into Energy!
I bet you can't tell me how leadership training and... Read More
Creating A Vision ? Bringing Your Dreams Into Reality
Do you have some goals you want to achieve or... Read More
Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: Employee Ideas Achieve Work Life Balance
This article relates to the Work/Life Balance competency, which investigates... Read More
Importance of Just-In-Time Inventory System
In today's competitive world shorter product life cycles, customers rapid... Read More
Why Do Managers Create Low Morale? Or Does My Bum Look Big In This?
Why do managers create low morale as a product of... Read More
Business Management |