A Message from Michael Arkes, CEO of Hinda

It’s no secret that some manufacturers in Asia and other parts of the world have come under scrutiny due to workplace conditions and the questionable treatment of their employees. Most of us who hear these types of stories assume that the exploitation of workers is an unacceptable business practice that is only occurring in under-developed or developing economies. Unfortunately, many will be surprised to learn that the same kinds of conditions and treatment can be found right here in the United States.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I came across the Mother Jones article “I Was a Warehouse Wage Slave” – an expose by reporter Mac McClelland, who worked at fulfillment warehouses last holiday season in order to report on the conditions there. It is a 14-page article, but like any gripping story, you will not want to put it down.

But why is this on a blog focused on the incentive industry? How does this apply to us? While we at Hinda ship about 92 percent of our orders from our own warehouse, this is not the norm. Most of our competitors ship few of their orders from their own facilities, and some don’t ship any at all.

This means that the fine, upstanding corporation with the impeccable reputation might actually be having its award orders fulfilled by a “warehouse wage slave.” I’m suggesting that sometime in the future, corporations will not want their award orders fulfilled by fulfillment companies that blatantly exploit their workers. They will not want to be associated with these companies.

Fortunately, there are award fulfillment companies like Hinda that appreciate how important every team member is to delivering quality service to both our customers and their program participant. This past December, instead of abusing our employees in an effort to get them to perform, we provided them with an incentive for coming in to work every day during this short, busy season. We have created a culture where everyone wins – the program participant, the customer, our employee and our company.

We are a socially responsible award provider for your socially responsible corporate customers. Again, here is the link to the article “I Was a Warehouse Wage Slave.” Let us know your reaction.

Merchandise Monday: ‘Q it Up!

Spring is officially here, as of tomorrow, and not to jinx anybody, but here at Hinda, we’ve been experiencing some unseasonably warm weather for mid-March. While we’re all crossing fingers, toes and every other crossable body part hoping the nice weather sticks around, some great new backyard merchandise has conveniently come down the pipeline. Since our neighbors didn’t feel it was too early in the season for a barbeque, we think that gives us license to go ahead and talk grilling and chilling in this week’s Merchandise Monday.

The Grills

Coleman® RoadTrip® Charcoal Grill

Ideal for on-the-go grilling, the RoadTrip charcoal grill features 225 square inches of cooking area, a durable steel construction and a lightweight, easy to transport design. The porcelain-coated grate is easy to clean up and ash removal is a cinch. If you haven’t planned your next road trip yet, you’d better start now.

Coleman RoadTrip Propane Grill

The RoadTrip propane grill provides powerful, open-flame grilling anytime, anywhere. With the same great features as the charcoal grill, plus an 11,000-BTU burner and a fixed regulator, you’re barbeque-ready whether on the road or in the comforts of your own backyard.

The Chills

Coleman 24-Can Party Stacker™ Cooler

Take your summer parties to the next level with the 24-Can Party Stacker cooler. This monster is wide enough to fit a 13" x 9" pan and is stackable with multiple coolers, so you can separate your hard drinks from your soft, and keep your garage relatively clutter-free. Molded handles provide comfort for carrying from party to party all summer long.

Coleman 48-Can Party Stacker Cooler

Not to be outdone, this version holds double the amount of cans while retaining all the same features as its 24-can-holding counterpart. Be the hit of the block party or barbeque when you bust out this giant of the can-cooling world. Get ready for a busy summer, because you’ll no doubt receive many a barbeque invite after debuting this cooler.

CreativeWare™ Beverage Dispenser

Great for entertaining or for everyday use for the iced tea or lemonade enthusiast, the beverage dispenser holds three gallons of your favorite summer beverage. The wide-mouth lid is easy to fill, and an ice compartment in the base keeps your beverage extra cool. Use this dispenser indoors or out and keep your guests happy and hydrated all day.

Are you getting hungry yet? Do you have big plans for the summer, or are you just looking to catch up on your R and R? Are you a regular host of big summer barbeques, or do others host and you just show up ready to party? Consider this your invitation to comment below. 

Merchandise Tuesday: Giving Back

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, often we forget to slow down, take a step back and pay attention to some of the issues that seem to slip through the cracks. Many companies are becoming more and more aware of their impact on the environment, and as a result, trying to adopt a more green way of doing business. Other corporations are concerned with social issues, and asking what they can do to contribute to their communities. Then there are the places out there that are focused on the global scale, doing whatever they can to enrich the lives of those less fortunate. These issues are just some of the problems we all tend to put on the back burner until we have more time or resources to take action. The good news is many companies are starting to tie their corporate social responsibility plans into their incentives programs.

At Hinda, our awards assortment features all kinds of products brought to us by Helping Hand Rewards, or HHR. HHR connects you with established social enterprises and fair trade organizations that manufacture unique, high-quality good with the sole mission of helping people earn a living and feed their families. From jewelry to bath products, housewares to gourmet food, these products are attractive and well made. Here are just a few samples of items created by some of HHR’s partners:

• Bath and Spa products feature items from Pure Eden™ and Bright Endeavors. Both of these organizations help women learn employment skills and provide job training so they can get ahead in life. Pure Eden’s products include fair trade and green soaps, lotions and travel spa kits for both women and men. Bright Endeavors creates its signature Dreambean soy candle tins in a variety of scents and sizes.
• Jewelry and Accessories products feature handmade bracelets from Mary Fisher and Moda Esperanza. Mary Fisher works to provide employment opportunities to HIV-positive women in Africa. Fisher designs the bracelets, which are intricately stitched and beaded by the women, who receive all profits from sales. Moda Esperanza helps women and single mothers in Honduras to earn a fair wage. These women create unique bracelets out of recycled pop tabs.
• Gourmet Food from Lambs Farm includes tins of cookies, toffee, chocolate and jars of jams produced by the longstanding organization, which focuses on empowering adults with developmental disabilities to lead enriched lives as independently as possible. Not only does the baking help the participants learn new skills, it also helps them cultivate their talent, which is a focus area for Lambs Farm.

This is just a small sampling of the socially responsible items Hinda has in its assortment. These products are not only great for employee recognition and corporate holiday gifts, but by redeeming these items, you are helping to enrich the lives of people around the globe who are struggling to put food on the table, working toward gaining important job skills or emotionally isolated from the rest of society due to unplanned pregnancy or developmental disabilities. When you choose a socially responsible gift, you are not just rewarding your employees or yourself, you are giving the gift of empowerment to the loving and motivated hands that stitched, baked and crafted these fine products.

The Incentive Research Foundation Talks Top Trends for 2012

The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) recently released a new white paper titled “2012 Trends in Rewards & Recognition,” which highlights 12 key areas of focus in the incentives marketing arena for this year and what changes we as an industry can expect. The folks at IRF make several great points with regard to noncash incentives that we’d like to summarize here on Hinda Blog, and feel free to peruse the research for more information.

The report opens by explaining that change is in the air, and companies are starting to re-evaluate how they do business and utilize their human capital. “Fast HR” is a movement that the IRF points to that “encourages throwing out standard tools in favor of more expeditious methods to direct, focus, and energize employees.” The report goes on to add that non-cash is aligned with the Fast HR model and is becoming increasingly attractive to the C-suite, which it views as being one of the biggest trends to watch this year.

“Today,” reports the IRF, “a new wave of respected thought leaders that include McKinsey, Harvard Business Review, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Aberdeen acknowledge the effectiveness and/or strategic business value of noncash components.” In one example, the IRF points Aberdeen’s annual “Sales Performance Management Study,” in which it was uncovered that 21 percent of best in class companies – those that out-performed rivals across all major financial categories – utilized reward and recognition programs, while only 10 percent of non-best in class did.

Studies conducted by the other thought leaders named in IRF’s report realized similar outcomes. Noncash is on the rise, though it doesn’t come without its share of challenges, specifically that “noncash programs must complement other strategies and initiatives, the nomination/winning process must be clear and the evaluation/selection processes must be transparent” in order for noncash recognition to be effective, according to IRF’s research.

Incorporating another hot trend but staying within the realm of noncash, IRF explains that wellness programs are high on the list, and goes on to say that, if your company does not utilize a reward and recognition program currently, wellness is a great place to start. In 2009, the US spent about 17 percent of its GDP on healthcare, and yet America as a whole is not a healthy country, according to World Health Organization statistics.

Wellness programs can and should be worked into an organization’s current incentives bundle, according to the IRF. “Noncash incentive additions to wellness programs have been shown (Johnson & Johnson, for example) to increase voluntary participation by up to 90 [percent], a finding from ‘Big Fat Truth about Use of Incentives for Wellness Programs,’ published by the Incentive Federation.” Not only does this make for healthier people overall, but as we all know, fewer sick days makes for more productivity and lower health insurance premiums for companies – a winning situation all-around.

One final trend of note with regard to noncash – or any type of incentive, really – is retention and culture, which acknowledges, among other things, that “a lack of consistent recognition has impacted the ‘cooperative’ nature of some work environments,” according to the IRF report. “Recent research… show[s] that employees at ‘rewarder organizations’ generate ideas 250 [percent] more frequently than employees of organizations that are not rewarders.”

Whether your company has a stellar rewards and recognition program in place, a less-than-stellar one or none at all, the IRF has provided plenty for you and your employees to consider as we move along in 2012. Again, check out the full report and feel free to let us know your thoughts in the “Comments” section below.

Toy Fair 12: Play Happens

Last month, Hinda buyer Cindy Deeg attended the annual Toy Fair to get the scoop on the latest and greatest merchandise coming out of the toy industry this year. Here are some of the highlights from over 100,000 items and 1,000-plus exhibitors present at this year’s event.

Grow With Me

A popular category of toys at this year’s event include items that appeal to the pocketbooks by lasting through multiple stages in a child’s life. This was present in products as well as technology, as it tied in with the largest trend in tech toys. Many toys being introduced have features that allow the height to be adjusted so that the toys can grow with the children.

iFun

This was, by far, the largest trend, which started last year with a few apps designated for certain products. This year, there was plenty of integration between the iPhone®/iPad®/iPod® and toys, and this helps tie back into the “grow with me” trend which allows parents to download age appropriate apps and games to these products to keep their children engaged.

Old is New Again

Companies are bringing back some of their old-school toys but revamping them with added technology.  Traditional games have been updated to include modern marvels such as zapped branding, apps and avatars. Other old faves haven’t been given the tech treatment but are being re-introduced into the world of toys. 

Inspirational

This category features art-focused occupations from the stage to the showroom, with a focus on music stemming from the success of “American Idol,” “The Voice,” and “X Factor.” Products in this category range from microphones and karaoke machines to DJ-ing kits and fake stages. Most of these items are licensed by one of the above shows or by a variety of other companies, making these items appropriate for any age. Last year there was a similar showing of craft items, and while this year was no different, there was an emphasis on future careers. From architecture and interior design to fashion and jewelry, children are being prompted to use their imaginations to create something that they can wear and show off.

Keep your eye out in the coming months for announcements about the new products that Hinda will be adding to its ever-growing assortment!

You Can Thank Us Later

Happy March 2^nd, everyone! “Why is that significant?” you ask. Well, it’s the first Friday in March, and if you ask your staff, they will remind you that it is Employee Appreciation Day! But don’t let on that you forgot. Just tell them that you were “testing them,” assure them that you have a very special surprise lined up, and then lock yourself in your office and Google “Employee Appreciation Day ideas.” You’re welcome.

Employee Appreciation Day was born in 1995 and is always the first Friday of March. According to Recognition Professionals International, one of the organization’s founding board members, in association with Workman Publishing, created the day to put the focus toward employees in all industries.

We all know that recognition is the most powerful motivator. Everyone loves cash, but it isn’t memorable as a reward and holds no trophy value – and let’s face it, it usually goes toward a bill. A kind word or unique experience creates a lasting memory and comes with a great story. “I was awarded this [insert award] from my boss for [insert good deed]” is much more interesting than “Oh yeah, I saved up and bought this [insert material possession/vacation/extravagant dinner].”

So why not recognize the hard work of your dedicated employees, without whom you may as well kiss your business goodbye. Here are some ideas we’ve already Googled for you:

·         Treat your employees to a meal

·         Take your team out for happy hour (it is Friday, after all)

·         Send them home early with pay

·         Hire a massage therapist, manicurist or yoga instructor to come into the office

·         Leave flowers, candy or a personal note on your employees’ desks

·         Gift cards, movie tickets and other entertainment rewards are always nice

Remember that you don’t need to wait until the first Friday in March to recognize your employees. Praise, surprises and small tokens of your appreciation can and should happen throughout the year. But since today is a nationally recognized day, it should not be overlooked.

Once you have your treat lined up, make sure you note “Employee Appreciation Day” on your calendar for next March and avoid the awkwardness for years to come!

Merchandise Monday: Awards Oscar® Would be Jealous of

Did everyone tune in to last night’s Academy Awards® ceremony? Were you shocked/amazed/appalled/indifferent to learn that “The Artist” took home the Oscar for Best Picture? Were you as broken up as we were to hear that “Bridesmaids” was snubbed for everything? Guess you can’t win them all.

In honor of Oscar Night, we’re focusing on recent DVD and Blu-ray™ additions to Hinda’s merchandise assortment. Some are Academy Award-winners themselves, and others are just really good flicks – but all are “A” list award choices. And this month’s winners are…:

Best Picture Academy Award WinnersFive Film Collection on Blu-ray and DVD

Why waste your time on sub-par films when you can build your collection with five amazing movies that all won the Academy Award for Best Picture? The Best Picture Academy Award Winner set brings together for the first time “The English Patient” (1996), “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), “Chicago” (2002), “Crash” (2005) and “No Country for Old Men” (2007). Experience the best of cinema all over again with touching stories, quality filmmaking and exceptional acting as these films make their way back into your home and your heart.

“The Help” on DVD

The #1 New York Timesbestseller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. Led by Emma Stone, Academy Award-nominated Viola Davis (Best Supporting Actress, “Doubt”, 2008), Octavia Spencer (who just won Best Supporting Actress for this film) and Bryce Dallas Howard, “The Help” is an inspirational, courageous and empowering story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project - one that breaks society's rules and puts them all at risk.

“Kung Fu Panda Collection” on DVD

Get your Fu fix with the “Kung Fu Panda Collection” on DVD. The collection features “Kung Fu Panda”, “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters.” Jack Black is perfect as the voice of Po, a noodle-slurping dreamer who must embrace his true self - fuzzy flaws and all - in order to become the Dragon Warrior in the Academy Award-nominated original. In round two, which was also nominated for an Academy Award, Po must lead his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five, on a mission of epic proportions to defeat his most threatening rival yet. Finally, get ready for even more awesomeness in the world premiere of an all-new “Kung Fu Panda” adventure, “Secrets of the Masters.”

“Real Steel” on Blu-ray + DVD Combo and DVD

Enter the not-so-distant future, where boxing has gone high-tech and 2,000-pound, eight feet tall steel robots have taken over the ring. Hugh Jackman stars as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter turned small-time promoter in “Real Steel”, a riveting, white-knuckle action ride that will leave you cheering. Visually stunning and complete with knockout bonus material, “Real Steel” is a pulse-pounding, inspirational adventure filled with heart and soul.

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1” – Special Edition on Blu-ray and Two-Disc DVD

In the highly anticipated fourth installment of “The Twilight Saga”, a marriage, honeymoon and the birth of a child bring unforeseen and shocking developments for Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) and those they love, including new complications with werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). This special edition includes a six-part making-of documentary, Edward and Bella's personal wedding video, a glimpse into Jacob's destiny and audio commentary with director Bill Condon.

What are your thoughts on these recent merchandise additions? Are some of these already part of your personal stash, or would you choose any of these for your home collection? Is it really an honor just to be nominated? Let’s hear your speech in the “Comments” section below!