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Recognizing and rewarding excellence: it’s on every list of ways in which to retain key employees. Because engaged employees stay longer at a company, we know that rewarding performance improvement also boosts employee engagement.

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Earlier this year, legislation was introduced in Congress that would have effectively banned independent contractor classifications under federal labor law. Those in the incentives, rewards & recognition marketplaces would have been adversely affected.

Rewarding and recognizing employees is more important than ever as employers struggle to keep employees motivated and engaged in a work-from-home environment. Reward choices matter. In any economy, the right rewards can make a lasting impression on your workforce and increase the return on your program investment.

Companies with defined incentive, reward and recognition programs enjoy a higher market share, lower turnover rates, a more highly engaged workforce, higher productivity and a host of additional benefits, so it makes sense that an increasing number of companies are turning to these programs. But very few company leaders know which reward vehicles work best, understand the legal tax and regulatory issues involved, or employ staff with relevant experience to properly design programs. Yet, despite this, many still attempt to do so using in-house resources.

At this time of year many individuals and companies are exploring new or updated health insurance programs. Insurance companies offer significant benefits to companies that have documented wellness programs, so companies are making a significant investment in improving the health of their workforce. A study conducted by Fidelity revealed that over half of employers (56%) offer a wellness program to their global workforce, with 40% of the budget directed at incentives for employees to participate.

Although employee engagement has been a priority for many organizations, only 32% of U.S. workers are engaged in their work, according to a Gallup study. Because companies with higher employee engagement outperform their competitors by over 200%, this is increasingly important. Earlier this month we discussed signs of a negative workplace. Here we’ll discuss how to build a culture of recognition that leads to higher employee engagement.

Market research has been a valued strategy for decades. Traditionally, marketers have employed focus groups, product testing, interviews and telemarketing surveys to get that all-important customer and prospect input. Companies that invest in employee incentive and recognition strategies can also benefit from market research.  For incentive and recognition programs, input from representatives of the target group is critical to ensure that the process is effective and the rewards will be motivating to the audience.