7 Tips on Creating an Effective Staff Recognition Program

Because of intense competition and increased pressure and demands, companies, now more than ever, find that in order to compete and to sustain growth, they should take care of one of their most valuable assets – their people. Staff recognition is one of the ways to do this. Some of the most commonly implemented reward and recognition programs include Peer Recognition, Years of Service, Spot Recognition, * Employee of the Week or Month or Year, Birthday/Special Occasion Awards and Employee Referrals.

But before you choose which kind of program to implement, you need to know how to create a recognition strategy that will deliver results. Here are some tips:

1. Make sure that your program will be seen as objective and consistent. If it is not seen as a fair process, it will not only be ineffective, it might even cause low morale. To avoid this, always strive to make the processes of the recognition program transparent. Describe clearly how the rewards may be achieved and avoid programs that will be perceived as just the manager or a bunch of managers rewarding their favorite. Also, avoid programs that will be perceived as just letting the employees take turns in receiving the award.

2. Effective staff recognition programs have simple and straightforward rules. Launch promotional activities to communicate the goals of your reward program and how it aligns with the goals of the company. At all times during the process, both the employer and the employees should have all the information on what behaviors or outcomes are expected and what the corresponding reward or rewards will be. This is typically done as feedback during training.

3. Be specific in terms of goals and the rewards. This is one of the reasons quota-based programs are effective – because they have specific, measurable goals. And also, everyone in the company typically gets to participate in a quota-based program and everyone gets a shot at winning the reward.

4. The reward should be perceived as special and not part of the usual paycheck. If it is handed out too easily and too frequently, it will, over time, be perceived as a given, as something that employees are entitled to regardless of performance. The reward, particularly if it is monetary, should not be lumped together with the salary.

5. Think of rewards that are non-monetary. Incentives that are not cash easily stand out and are easily differentiated from the usual salary. Just make sure that the reward is special, but not necessarily too expensive. The rewards that tend to be more effective are those that are personalized or customized to what appeals the most to the recipient or recipients of the reward.

6. Make sure you have long term programs. Programs that take place for at least a year tend to produce higher percentages of improved performance mainly because they give you time to track the performance better, give feedback and work towards achieving better results.

7. Stay true to the idea of using the recognition program as a way to empower employees and further create a sense of value in their skills and the work that they do. Staff recognition programs should also give employees some sense of control over their additional income.

Resource:
Kylie Milan is a HR specialist with strong background in human resources solution. We teach companies about recognition and incentives, an effective way to motivate your staff and keep them on board.