Hindastry News - November 2012

Welcome to the latest issue of "Hindastry News" - Hinda's corporate newsletter.

"Hindastry News" brings you the latest on the happenings at Hinda.

This issue includes:

  • 2012 Golden Carrot Awards
  • Milestone Anniversary for One of our Employees - Celebrating 40 Years at Hinda!
  • An Important Message from our President, Dave Peer
  • New Employees and Recent Promotions
  • Roundtable Recap 

If you know someone who would benefit in receiving communications like this from Hinda, have them e-mail Alisa Schafer (aschafer@hinda.com) and ask to be added to the distribution list.

Also be sure to check out and subscribe to the Hinda Blog. 

Click here for the current issue of Hindastry News.

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Hinda Celebrates Therese Brisard’s 40th Anniversary

Today marks a very special event here at Hinda. Our longtime employee, Therese Brisard, celebrates her 40th anniversary with the company. According to Hinda’s founder, Ben Arkes, Therese was Hinda’s third employee when she joined the company.

In honor of Therese’s loyalty and dedication to Hinda, the staff enjoyed a delicious lunch earlier this week catered from Uncle Joe’s as well as a beautifully decorated cake from Pastel. If you’ve been keeping up with us on Facebook, you know that we do quite a bit of eating at Hinda, and everyone welcomed the afternoon lunch break.

After lunch, the staff gathered around the cake and listened while Ben and Michael reminisced about Therese’s early days at Hinda. Ben remarked that it’s been a “beautiful time” having Therese on staff, and Michael commented on her agile ability to adapt to the ever-changing world of technology.

“Forty years ago, Therese used a typewriter to create multiple copies of an invoice,” Michael said. “As our business grew and the company’s needs changed, Therese adapted and fulfilled new roles. She was the sole computer operator for our first two IBM systems. She later mastered three additional computer systems. Most people do not adapt well when change occurs, but Therese accepted change and always learned the new skills necessary to continue to be a valuable Hinda employee.”

Everyone clapped and cheered when Ben presented Therese with her 40th anniversary plaque. It was very obvious that Therese has been a beloved member of Hinda’s staff for all these years, and this is truly a milestone to be celebrated among the Hinda family.

“In my time at Hinda, I have enjoyed watching the company grow and I am proud to have been able to contribute to its success,” Therese said. “It has been a wonderful ride over the years and I look forward to working with you for many more!”

Check out our Facebook page for pictures from the party!

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An Industry First: Purchasing Facebook Ads with Rewards Points

I ran across an article on Colloquy's website the other day that immediately captured my attention. It announced that American Express Cardmembers were now able to purchase Facebook Ads with Membership Rewards points. This is an industry first. Never before has a program allowed rewards points to be used for advertising purposes.

An excellent idea for small business owners, the new partnership allows Cardmembers to pay for Facebook Ads with Membership Rewards points in an effort to build their business through the rapidly growing area of social advertising.

"The Membership Rewards program is a unique and core asset for American Express that is becoming even more relevant for our Cardmembers in the social media space," says Ed Gilligan, Vice Chairman at American Express.

This is a perfect example of how incentives have expanded in recent years. Whether you're vying for employee or customer loyalty, the message is the same: Those with an influence on your business are motivated through incentives and rewards.

Here at Hinda, we've seen the ways in which incentives have grown and improved over the years. Digital awards are rising, as well as experimental rewards. What are some other innovative ways you can use rewards points? Leave a comment and let us know.

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Fastest Ways to Lose Customers

It's common knowledge that in order to remain profitable and popular, companies need to put their customers first. The same concept can (and should) be applied toward employees. Companies need to treat their employees as if they're customers. Loyal employees are just as important to the future of the business as loyal customers are.

I found this infographic on Get Satisfaction's blog. In business to build customer communities for companies, they happen to know a thing or two about customer loyalty. Looking at this infographic, a lot of the information can be related to employees. For example, the number one reason why customers leave a company is due to the treatment they received. I believe the same can be said for why employees leave a company.

What do you all think? Should companies treat their employees like customers? What other ways can companies lose employees?

 

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Diversify Your Incentive Plan

Any good financial advisor will tell you that diversifying your portfolio is the best way to maximize your return. The same can be said with employee incentives. Hiring managers and HR professionals need more than one way to recognize and reward employees for a job well done. In addition to base salary and insurance benefits, employees seek incentives and perks when choosing where their loyalties lie.

Jobacle.com recently published an article on their blog outlining the eight best employee incentive programs. They, like us, believe that a diversified approach is best to maintain and recruit top talent. Their list is featured below. (See article for detailed descriptions).

  1. Flexible hours and/or telecommuting
  2. Health and wellness programs
  3. Points programs
  4. Separate group and individual incentives
  5. PTO, paid holidays and relaxation
  6. Production-based bonuses
  7. Social and networking events
  8. Tuition reimbursement and learning opportunity

Employees are not all motivated by the same factors. Thus, by utilizing a diversified set of incentives, more employees are motivated. Do you agree? What would you add to this list? Would you remove any items?

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Employee Loyalty = Customer Loyalty

Proper use of incentive programs to increase engagement among an organization's employees should improve loyalty among those workers to the company. Increased loyalty typically results in increased productivity levels. This will also have a chain reaction to treatment of your consumer base. Employees that are treated well tend to pay it forward to their customers.
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