Three Trends in Employee Recognition for a New Era
Ditch the tired employee incentive programs that have been used for decades, and take your recognition programs to the next level.
In this new era, the workplace is marked by long hours and constant access to email and work conversations. If you want to motivate employees to do their best work, you have to think outside of the box and personalize your employee incentive programs.
By incorporating new trends into employee incentives, you can liven up the workplace while also giving employees the rewards they’ve come to expect. You’ll be able to engage younger generations, produce a highly satisfied and motivated workplace, and stay on budget with these incentive tactics.
Give Staff a Social Nod
With the advances in technology, employees are constantly plugged in. Many of them can log in to the office workspace from their home computers or on the go, even from an airline they are flying for business or pleasure. The overwhelming majority of employees are also logged in to their social media networks, where they scope out updates from family and friends as well as news that’s relevant to them.
Posting to social media about an award, profile or recognition is a sure way to get your employees’ attention. When they browse through their feeds, they’ll spend time reading updates about the company, the work they’re involved with or their peers who are receiving awards. They will notice the time and effort your company puts into each recognition on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn. Reading about their peers will also motivate them to work toward a similar recognition of their own.
Spark Healthy Competition
Quotas and commission numbers can lead to a stressed-out workforce. Employees will strain to achieve goals that have been set so high that they are unrealistic. The extra effort may boost the company at first, but it can also lead to low morale when goals aren’t met. However, you can still motivate employees to work harder by showing how their numbers stack up.
Use leaderboards to track the statistics that are important to you and your business. You can customize the leaderboards to display the data that offers your company the most benefit, and let employees add to the tally of daily numbers or percent change. From sales trends and conversions to consumer satisfaction scores, the data you track can be anything of your choosing. The comparative charts can help your employees achieve a goal or spark a friendly competition.
Look Beyond the Sales Force
When employees hear the word “commission,” their thoughts go straight to the sales staff. Commissions have traditionally been doled out to those on the front lines of the business, who are making the end sale for the company. Still, your staff knows that a lot of time, energy and initiative went into each service or product before it hit the sales floor. In an ideal world, the supporting staff would want to be recognized for their contributions, too.
You can make this a reality by expanding your commissions model beyond the sales force and extending it to other employees. Develop ways to reward the employees who are working behind the scenes to make the company successful. The sales staff can still benefit from commissions, and when they see a company-wide effort, they may become even more motivated to sell. Moreover, the whole workforce will be motivated to do better, because they know they are working for a company that values performance.
