With Employee Appreciation Day coming up this Friday, March 4th, workplaces around the country are looking for ways to say “thank you” to their workers. Yet with almost half of the workforce feeling underappreciated, employee appreciation needs to be a year-round effort, not just a single day.
Happy March 2nd, 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!
How well is your incentive program working? Is it working? How can you tell? These are questions that are addressed in Rick Dandes’ article “Problem-Solving: What to Do When Your Incentive Program Isn’t Working” in the January/February issue of Premium Incentive Products. In the article, Dandes talks to Hinda relationship manager Kate Henehan about what to do when your incentive program doesn’t work and the importance of keeping track of your program to make sure it’s on target and doing what it’s supposed to, essentially.
When talking about problems within a given program, Henehan says, “One of the most important [things] is lack of management support. Executives need to be promoting and reminding their participant base about the importance of the program, how it aligns to the company goals and, ultimately, to individual rewards and recognition.” She adds that these programs lend themselves to excitement and promotion at the outset, and then gradually start to lose steam. If the program is truly aligned with company goals, it’s up to management to keep employees engaged and reminded of the importance of these programs.
The article points to a few warning signs to look for within a program that isn’t doing what it’s supposed to. First, if few people participate, that’s an indication that the program isn’t working. Also, if the awards being offered don’t motivate people, there’s another clue that something is amiss. Third, if you’re having trouble discerning whether or not your program is even successful, you’ve got your answer right there: it’s not. Luckily, the article outlines several strategies for designing effective incentive programs and for winning back the employees whose engagement might have gotten lost along the way.
“Programs can fail for a lot of reasons, but a well-designed program tied to a company’s goals and objectives, with ways to measure results, can deliver excellent results and ROI,” Henehan says. “Ongoing measurement, modifying the program to meet changing corporate goals and strategies, tracking performance, measuring results and keeping all channels of communication open are key. It’s important to stay fluid today – things change much more rapidly than in the past, and you have to be able to change with them.”
Get the whole scoop here.
When looking for a way to reward your employees or customers, it's easy to turn to the age-old, traditional gift ideas like pens, t-shirts, stress balls and thumb drives. But, are these effective alone? The minds behind Flowtown thought not. They had the brilliant idea of putting all traditional gift ideas together to form one perfect super-gift.
While I can't say with certainty, I'm fairly sure this is a parody. Given the humorous descriptions of each item, I sense that this super-gift isn't going to be at the top of any employee or customer's wish list. But still, it's worthy of a laugh. Can you think of any other traditional items that may be missing from this? Or, did they capture all of them?
Instead of combining all of the traditional corporate gifts together to create one perfect gift, perhaps the best solution is to let your employees and customers select their own gifts. We specialize in points-based reward systems. We understand all of the important elements to a successful reward program and have all of the resources available to support your needs.
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?
Many of our Merchandise Monday posts focus on larger awards. We talk about Tablet PCs, printers, bikes and televisions. These are all great rewards that could be used to help drive certain behaviors. In a points-based recognition program these type of rewards aren't typically earned quickly Larger rewards typically require more points, resulting in point earners delaying their gratification for a big reward.
On the other hand, there are smaller rewards. They require less points but more importantly, take less time to earn and have more of an "instant gratification" aspect behind them. This results in those point earners getting that "trophy" much quicker. Is one of these better or more effective than the other? Let's take a look:
Americans Prefer Instant Gratification
According to a poll run by USAToday, most Americans prefer instant gratification and results. This poll mainly pointed towards circumstances like waiting in line, being on hold for a call or driving through traffic. These don't talk about redeeming points sooner or later or spending money sooner than later but it does give us insight on a growing mentality. Looking at the way businesses run in the digital world, customers expect feedback and help even quicker now. Being a fast responder isn't a unique trait for a company, it's now an expectation.
Knowing how quickly many consumers expect things, it would only make sense that rewards that are quickly achieved would make the most sense right? Yes and no. The following experiment shows that there is a good mix of both.
The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment
This is probably the most referenced psychology study on instant gratification. Summed up, children around the age of four were placed in a room and given a marshmallow. The psychologist (Walter Mischel) performing the experiment said he had to leave the room. He gave the children two options: they could eat the marshmallow while he was gone or have a second one if they held out on eating until he returned. Some of the children waited it out for a second marshmallow while others sought out the instant reward.
This experiment mainly to study the psychological tendencies of these two groups of people, those who wait for rewards and those who want it now. It does show us this: even at an early age, it's apparent that there isn't a universal truth to what sort of reward is best. Different things motivate different people.
Which is best?
So which is the best sort of reward to add to your program? Smaller, quicker-to-earn awards or larger, long-term ones? Both.
It really depends on who you are trying to reward. What motivates them? It's good to have a mix of both smaller and larger point-value items in your rewards options. Some people may want to save up for that flatscreen for the family room or that new grill for next summer.
The main thing to learn about instant gratification is applying this to recognition. Take away the rewards aspect and think of why you're giving them in the first place. You are recognizing a job well done. If you have a performer that went over and beyond the expectations set before them, they expect to be recognized quickly.
It's not necessarily all about quickly earned rewards. Quick recognition is what will drive people. What do you think?
**Check out a follow up to this post by @annbares on Compensation Force
