All Star - Blog

An article entitled Five Secrets to Motivate and Retain Employees was recently published by ThriveGlobal. The author is a career coach…but notably, not an incentive professional or specialist in the reward and recognition field.

What is the perfect reward for employee recognition programs that target performance in areas like safety, wellness, customer service and training?  Let’s start by defining what we mean by “perfect.” The “perfect” award would be one that is both highly desired by the award recipient and one that will easily be remembered by that recipient for a long time to come.  Without that in mind, let’s first consider what award structures do not work (and yet are still commonly used):

National Employee Appreciation Day is March 2, 2018, and many companies will do something special for their employees. The company leaders may bring in lunch or managers may plan a celebration or provide each employee with a small gift. Those of us in the corporate incentive, reward and recognition world realize that showing employees appreciation is not a one-time event.

I am rapidly approaching my 10-year anniversary with my company.  It’s a family-owned business so already has a friendly built-in quality about it that makes it feel familiar before you even get to know anyone.  I have made lifelong friends over the years – some have left and keep in touch and some are still here alongside me.

I recently read a great article on branding – specifically about “naming” a company or service - that talked about the seven tests that a name has to pass before it should be used.  I think it is applicable not only to a product or service but also to an incentive program – at least on some levels.

A recent survey by” Globoforce” of over 700  full time employees which appeared in USA TODAY’S  “Snapshots” focused on service anniversary awards  in the workplace. The surprising results claimed that 51% reported no particular reaction or emotion  involved with being the recipient of such a recognition gift.