Employee Spotlight: Rick Bowen

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Trustworthy and loyal, with a sense of humor, Rick Bowen, Assistant Merchandise Manager, has spent the past 32 years working, learning and evolving with Hinda.

His journey started in Indianapolis, where he was hired on as the warehouse manager. Hinda opened an operation in Indianapolis in 1979 to branch out the premium business. However, this was the start of the video revolution and after his first year, Bowen became the buyer for all electronics. The facility in Indianapolis was closed four years later, as it was too close in proximity to Chicago. At the time, our current CEO, Michael Arkes, was responsible for all of the purchasing in Chicago. After the Indianapolis office closed, Bowen was transferred to Chicago to continue as a buyer.

Now, as the Assistant Merchandise Manager, one of Bowen’s main responsibilities is merchandising Hinda's award assortment with some of the top electronics lines. With 32 years of knowledge and experience, he also supervises our team of buyers to ensure they’re progressing and developing.

“Michael Arkes gave me an opportunity 32 years ago to start a new career," says Bowen. "During that time, Hinda has given me every opportunity to succeed professionally.”

Outside of work, Bowen enjoys fly fishing and spending time with his family.

This has been part of our Employee Spotlight series, which aims to put a face to our business. We hope to give you a glimpse of our operations as you learn more about our employees.

How "Daily Deals for Businesses" Can Boost Engagement

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As consumers, we're well aware of the massive eruption of daily deal sites on the Internet. Companies like Groupon, Living Social and Scoutmob offer discounts on everything from food, merchandise, services and activities. Now, daily deal sites are emerging that cater to a new crowd. Instead of offering deals to consumers, these new sites search for deals that cater to business markets.

Market Share was recently featured in a Fast Company article. As a new type of daily deal site, they offer things like team-building activities, flower delivery and even in-office massages. While it's only available in New York right now, they have plans to open in more cities by the end of the year.

This new type of spontaneous reward offering allows employers a convenient, hassle-free way to reward, engage and motivate employees. Without having to research, employers are able to purchase great experiences, products and merchandise for their employees.

While these type of rewards shouldn't replace an incentive program, they can be beneficial as a spontaneous addition. What do you all think? Are they a good idea? Will they rise in popularity?

When to Recognize

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While browsing through World at Work's most recent Trends in Employee Recognition report, I was intrigued by one particular statistic. Of companies with recognition programs, 90% offer some sort of Years of Service recognition, making it the most common program.

Years of Service programs can be controversial in nature. While employees should be rewarded for reaching milestone anniversaries within an organization, managers must be careful that these don't become their default recognition program. These programs reward presence and not behaviors, actions and achievements. In order to motivate employees, it's best to reward success and results.

The good news is that other types of recognition programs are on the rise. In the table below, you can see which programs are the most popular. It's clear to see that organizations are continuing to leverage newer programs that can have a more direct impact on business results such as above-and-beyond performance, peer-to-peer and suggestion/idea programs, as well as programs to motivate specific behaviors. In particular, programs designed to motivate specific behaviors were implemented by 25% of organizations with incentive programs in 2008. Now, 34% of organizations are implementing these programs. That's a 9% increase in three years.

Do you think programs designed to directly impact business will continue to rise? Will employers ever get rid of Years of Service recognition? Personally, I think it's best to have several different recognition programs in place. Do you agree?

Merch Monday: Impressive Beverage Holders

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Last week, we discussed ways to pump up your porch with decorative wireless outdoor speakers. This week, we're expanding on summer entertaining essentials and focusing on beverage holders. Rid your patio of unattractive coolers and upgrade to the newest pitchers and party tubs from Prodyne®.

When it's warm out, nothing can satisfy your thirst like an ice cold beverage. To ensure that your drink of choice stays crisp and cool on a hot summer day, take advantage of the Iced Fruit Infusion™ combo pitcher or the Iceberg™ party tub. These new beverage holders not only keep your beverages at the proper temperature, they also add a touch of style to your table or patio. 

The Iced Fruit Infusion™ combo pitcher from Prodyne® is the perfect way to enjoy refreshing lemon water, raspberry iced tea and more. Simply place cut lemons, berries, limes, mint, etc. into the removable fruit infusion rod and slide it down into the pitcher. Open slots in the rod allow for it to mix naturally with the liquid - giving your beverage a wonderful flavor. For time spent outdoors, attach the removable freezer ice tube to keep pre-chilled beverages cold for hours without ice cube dilution.

Your guests will be impressed with the Iceberg™ party tub. It's stylish angular design holds up to eight bottles of wine and plenty of beer and soda. It features easy-carry, cut out handles and leaves plenty of room for ice.

With the addition of these to your summertime gatherings, your guests will leave impressed! Are there any other products that are great for outdoor entertaining? Leave a suggestion in the comments box. We just might feature it in a future Merch Monday blog post!

Harnessing the Science of Persuasion

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As hiring managers and business leaders, it is your responsibility to maintain a positive relationship with your employees. In order to motivate and direct employees, persuasion skills are necessary, as they exert a great influence over others. It may seem impossible to learn charisma, but persuasion is governed by basic principles that can be taught, learned and applied.

The Harvard Business Review released an article highlighting the science of persuasion. In their findings, they revealed six fundamental principles of persuasion and suggested a few ways that executives can apply them in their organizations. They firmly believe that no leader can succeed without mastering the art of persuasion. The six principles are explained in the table below.

In a business sense, these six principles can be summed up nicely. Business leaders should utilize the following applications when putting these principles to use.

• Liking: Uncover real similarities and offer genuine purpose.
• Reciprocity: Give what you want to receive.
• Social Proof: Use peer power whenever it's available.
• Consistency: Make their commitments active, public and voluntary.
• Authority: Expose your expertise; don't assume it's self-evident.
• Scarcity: Highlight unique benefits and exclusive information.

Although the six principles and their applications can be discussed separately, they should be applied in combination to compound their impact.

Merch Monday: Wireless Outdoor Speakers

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Start the grill, call the neighbors and prepare your porch for the summer season. If you're looking to make your outdoor living space the best on the block, we've got the perfect products for you. Place a few wireless outdoor speakers on your porch to pump up the jam during your dinner gatherings. If parties aren't your thing, turn the volume down and let your wireless outdoor speakers entertain you while you relax and enjoy the beauties of the great outdoors.

The new lineup from Audiovox® Acoustic Research® seems impressive. Designed to seemlessly blend with any decor, they also boast an abundance of convenient features.

The black wireless indoor/outdoor speaker easily delivers crystal-clear audio content up to 150 feet from your stereo, computer or MP3 player. If you're looking for a dimensional sound experience, you can add multiple speakers using a single transmitter. The portable design allows speakers to conveniently hang or stand with easy wireless installation. Featuring a 40Hz-15kHz frequency response with a 2" tweeter, 3" woofer and 5W RMS.

If you're looking for a multifunctional outdoor audio device, look no further than the wireless speaker with built-in planter. The planter separates from the speaker so you can pot your favorite plant. Plus, it features the proper drainage so that you can water your plant without interfering with the speaker. The speaker receives crystal-clear reception up to 150 feet away. It features a 40Hz-15kHz frequency response, 900MHz transmission and a single 5" down-firing driver for omni-directional sound.

Hopefully, with the help of these convenient audio devices, your summer gatherings will be a little more hip.

Are there any other products that are great for outdoor living? Anything that will help vamp up the popularity of your porch? Leave a suggestion in the comments box. We just might feature it in a future Merch Monday blog post!

The Many Benefits of Employee Incentives

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Yes, there are several benefits to an employee incentive program. Incentives are in place to reward, recognize and motivate employees. And, they do a good job at all three.

It's been a tough couple of years and it's no secret that several employees are feeling burnt out, stressed, under appreciated and strapped for cash. There appears to be light at the end of the tunnel and the economy is slowly coming back to life. But, what happens when we've fully recovered from the events of the past few years?

With high competition for skilled and talented employees, rewarding your employees is essential and makes business sense. Employee incentive programs are crucial to a business’ success and they enable better relationships between employees and managers.

Don’t lose your employees to competitors. Invest in them today through incentive programs and reap the benefits of those investments for years to come. What benefits, you ask? Here are a few.

• Motivated employees
• Happy employees
• Stronger relationships between employees and managers
• Employee recognition
• Employee loyalty
• Valued employees
• Positive employee attitudes and behaviors
• Employee retention
• Improved communication

Can you think of any others? Leave a comment and let us know.