Employee rewards and recognition programs are essential for companies to retain their talent pool. The current generation of employees doesn’t just work for a paycheck. They expect recognition from employers for their efforts and contributions. Lack of acknowledgement for their achievements can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction among employees leading them to look for better opportunities.
Rewarding employees plays a critical role in motivating them and driving enhanced productivity. It could be a simple word of encouragement, a pat on the back, a memento, or any other tangible award. Most organizations create an employee rewards and recognition program that is a mix of all forms of appreciation.
In this article, we will guide you on how to create effective employee rewards and recognition programs.
The Science Behind Employee Motivation
Employee appreciation events are no longer an engagement strategy for companies. They now hold the potential to transform your workplace culture and drive your business growth. However, to maximize its advantages, you need to have a scientific approach to your employee rewards and recognition programs.
Explore the psychological principles of motivation
Employers generally consider employee recognition programs as a formality. However, it is a potent strategy to push forward your organizational goals by acknowledging their performance. It is a typical psychological fact that rewards, recognition, and acknowledgement reinforce positive or desired behavior in the workforce.
90% of the employees whose work was recognized claimed to have more trust in their leaders, as per OC Tanner’s report. It further reiterates the fact that employee recognition and rewards programs help build a connection between employees and employers.
Setting clear objectives
When you are designing your recognition program you must define clear criteria and metrics to assess the performance of your employees. You must ensure that your employee rewards and recognition program has clear objectives. It is important that these objectives are achievable and relevant to both your employees and the organization. Better productivity, innovation, employee wellness, and enhanced customer service are some of the objectives that you can have.
Individualization and customization in reward and recognition programs.
Most organizations take a very generic approach when planning employee rewards and recognition programs. When you hire employees from different backgrounds and experiences, it is only natural that they have differing motivations. Although everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated, it is important that you personalize the experience.
Personalization may seem difficult for companies still figuring out how to create effective employee rewards and recognition programs. By investing in an employee engagement and rewards platform like Zaggle Propel, you can automate the entire process with ease.
The Role of Leadership
An effective employee rewards and recognition program not only enhances employee experience but also creates a positive workplace culture. However, the success of this program depends primarily on the leaders.
The onus is on the company leadership to set the right standards and eligibility rules for employee recognition. They must set clear guidelines on what constitutes an achievement or contribution worthy of a reward. It ensures consistency in your rewards and recognition programs. Since these programs have a strong impact on your employees psychologically, you must be certain about the tone and message that these programs must present.
Leaders must also remember that the entire exercise of recognition of employee contribution is to enhance their performance. One important aspect of that is constructive feedback. Your recognition program must in some way also guide your employees on how best they can improve their work in terms of quality of innovation.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Regardless of your intentions and objectives, there will always be some shortcomings that will mar your program. We listed some of the pitfalls that commonly occur with employee rewards and recognition programs and how to avoid them.
Infrequent recognition program
Organizing employee rewards and recognition may seem like a hassle requiring teams to put aside their work and focus on this. You can avoid this challenge through Zaggle Propel, which allows you to automate your entire program with intelligent workflow.
Lack of personalization
Employees may not show desired excitement for your program if your rewards are one-size-fits-all. With Zaggle Propel, you can customize a rewards catalog through several merchandising options.
Impersonal recognition
Hierarchical awards may soon become impersonal as they only build the bond between an employee and their direct manager. You can create a culture of recognition across the board with Zaggle Propel’s peer review and nomination feature.
Design a successful recognition program with Propel
The efficiency and consistency of employee rewards and recognition programs rely on how scientific your processes are. However, it is rather challenging to execute a perfect recognition strategy manually. Instead, you can rely on a platform like Zaggle Propel, to digitally enhance your employee rewards and recognition programs. It is an automated solution that offers a seamless onboarding experience, insightful reporting, and a global rewards catalog.
Want to experience the true advantage of Zaggle Propel, talk to us.
