SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR |  RSS | | REPRINT
|
Ask the Experts
October 01, 2009
Q. Can you suggest some books that will help me learn more about the subject of employee recognition?
A. There are a number of books that focus specifically on recognition, and there are others that dedicate entire sections or chapters to the topic. These books will help you learn more about why recognition is so important and teach you how to effectively deliver it.
One of my favorite books is 12: The Elements of Great Managing. It was written by Rodd Wagner and James Harter, who work at the Gallup Organization. The book looks at Gallup’s Q 12 questions and is based on 10 million employee and manager interviews spanning 114 countries. Each chapter goes through a particular element and how it impacts engagement. The fourth chapter deals with the question of recognition.
My good friend Dr. Jean-Pierre Brun and his colleague Professor Cary Cooper have just co-written a great book called Missing Pieces: 7 Ways to Improve Employee Well-Being and Organizational Effectiveness. I have not met Professor Cooper, but Jean-Pierre is an old friend. Their book speaks to the seven puzzle pieces of management, the first of which is recognizing your employees!
Bob Nelson’s 1001 Ways to Reward Employees is also a very good book, as is Chester Elton and Adrian Gostick’s entire series of Carrot Principle books. Finally, my friend and colleague Roy Saunderson’s book Giving: The Real Recognition Way is also a very thoughtful and enlightening tome.
—Peter Hart, CEO, Rideau Recognition Solutions
Q. We are trying to step back and take a fresh approach to our recognition budget instead of just allotting dollars to the same old “buckets.” Is there any advice you can offer?
A. One way to think about determining your investment in recognition is to look at the best practices of organizations you respect. Do they deliver exceptional customer service? Is their speed to market astonishing? Do you want to be “just like them when you grow up?” If so, ask them to share their recognition budget strategies with you and, of course, reciprocate. You’ll usually find that the people you admire most are the ones who view recognition as a mission-critical business initiative, even in these remarkable times. They have streamlined their costs by using technology to the fullest, yet they have maintained the integrity and effectiveness of their recognition infrastructure via ongoing funding.
Another area to glean information is the vast “web” of expertise available at social media sites. Recognition Professionals International, at www.recognition.org, hosts a virtual roundtable on LinkedIn and Facebook where you can pose questions and seek advice. You can also get access to the latest trends, including what organizations that participated in the RPI survey budgeted in various recognition categories and on a per-person basis. This can help build a compelling business case for maintaining or even increasing your recognition investment.
—Dee Hansford, CEO, Dee Hansford Consulting
Q. My company is looking at developing a safety program. What guidance can you give us?
A. Safety awareness needs to be part of your company’s culture and not just a program. Everyone needs to know and understand your company’s safety goals and the financial impact of not meeting those goals. The financial impact is not negative public relations, but it can be fines from safety violations, payments for accident liability, or, worse yet, liability for fatalities.
Employees should first learn about your company’s safety mission during the recruitment process. After all, you want to hire employees who understand the need to follow guidelines and protocols to help you achieve your safety goals. Programs often lend themselves to be the “flavor of the month,” so I would encourage you to look at safety from “A to Z” and how you can let your employees really drive it. Your workforce comes to work to support their families and livelihoods. It is in their best interests to be safe at work so they can return home safely to their families.
I would encourage you to focus on conditions that can lead to accidents. If you get your workforce to adopt the mentality that they are “hunters” for unsafe conditions, then you will cultivate a safety culture that will sustain itself.
—Kevin Cronin, Vice President, Recognition and Rewards Solutions, Perks.com
Q. How should I allocate my recognition program investment?
A. First, determine exactly what it is you wish to accomplish. Do your challenges involve the entire workforce or just certain departments or geographical locations? Can the root cause of the issue be traced to attracting and retaining the right talent or, does it manifest as a lack of alignment between what employees should be doing and what’s actually occurring?
Celebrating employee service milestones should help you retain and attract best-in-class talent. Best practices suggest investing $20 to $50 per year for service awards, which are typically given for every five years of duty. A modest “welcome” gift is a powerful way to bond with employees during those highly impressionable first days on the job. If you’ve been especially vulnerable to resignations at certain milestone years, awards at those additional benchmarks could further reduce your turnover.
When there’s a disconnect between job expectations and actions, a performance program is the answer. Its flexibility makes it a powerful tool in clearly defining and rewarding individual or team behaviors and the results that are needed to advance corporate goals. You can apply it company-wide with broad goals or to targeted departments for specific goals, such as reducing workplace accidents or improving customer service scores. Plan to spend $15 to $500 per person per year, or 2 to 3 percent of payroll.
Do you have a question for the recognition experts? E-mail askrpiexpert@recognition.org with your question, and it may appear in a future column.
About the Experts
Kevin J. Cronin is vice president of recognition and reward solutions at Perks.com. He is an expert on employee engagement and serves on the board of directors and marketing committee of Recognition Professionals International.
Dee Hansford, CRP, is CEO of Dee Hansford Consulting. She is a respected authority in leadership development and organizational change resulting in measurable ROI. Her clients have received national recognition for award-winning programs supporting a higher performance work culture.
Michelle M. Smith, CPIM, CRP, is vice president of business development at O.C. Tanner. She works in every facet of recognition and incentives and serves on the board of directors of Recognition Professionals International.
Peter W. Hart, CRP, is president and CEO of Rideau Recognition Solutions, a global provider of corporate rewards programs. He serves as treasurer on the board of directors of Recognition Professionals International.
|
SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR | RSS |
|
|
| Back to Incentive Index |
|
 |
advertisement |
|
|
