These Blunders Will Damage Employee Recognition Programs

We’ve researched hundreds of employee recognition and incentive programs over the years.   We often have prospective clients who say they have used employee recognition programs in the past and the programs just don’t seem to work for them.  They say they get relatively little return for their investment and these programs are often the first budgets to be cut when economic times are bad.  Frankly, in most cases executives are completely in the right to discontinue these programs.  

When recognition programs don’t produce desired results for your company the reasons why will typically fall into one of these categories. 

Track Your Performance

Lack of measurement is without a doubt the biggest mistake companies make when they implement an employee recognition effort.  Set the expectations of what you want them to do and then give honest measurement of how you are performing.  Not all recognition will have objective measurement, but surely the collective actions of employees against a set of values can be seen.  You can virtually follow the line between what was recognized and what happened because of that action.  It does take some effort, but the results of that measurement will be readily available when your executives ask you what you’re receiving for the time and money spent.  Anyone who sat in a budget meeting to retain or increase a recognition budget knows the importance of this.

Let Your Employees Choose What They Want

Don’t use awards that you think your employees want, or what appeal to you, or your executives or what your award vendor says they want.   Within reason, let your employees choose.  People are far more receptive when the award is what fits their own needs and wants, and that want can change constantly. 

Keep Everyone Informed

Good communications is the heart and soul of any great employee recognition/incentive effort. Showing what individual employees are doing to receive recognition makes it easier to motivate more employees to do the same. 

Involve Upper Management

We are constantly perplexed when company executives are not as involved in these efforts as much as possible.  If it wasn’t for the heartfelt work of the human resource professionals, many programs would wither and die. Executives stand to benefit the most from proud, enthusiastic engaged employees.  Get your executives to be your cheerleaders and provide ongoing involvement and enthusiastic support.  If you have any kind of spot awards, make sure they do some of it.