Employee Engagement

Posted by Curt Denevan:

I have a dream. Come with me on this journey.

• Employees spring out of bed excited to go to work each day.
• 87% are more likely to stay in their jobs.
• Managers seek to bring out the strengths of employees, not to harp on the weaknesses.
• 70% more likely to be nice to customers.
• Authentic recognition results in behavior that is social, strategic and powerful.
• Profitability increases at the firm.
• Engagement strengthens relationships at work. Work is social. Its about people.
• Progress is visible at work, demonstrating the key to motivation.
• Energy drives us: Spiritual, physical, emotional and mental. Energy is caught up in a mission that is greater than ourselves.
• Engaged employees formulate the results the company should be seeking. Powerful results matter to managers, organizations, employees and customers.
• Managers figure out how to make top performance worthy of employees' attention and provide feedback that is heard and followed by those employees.
• Work is meaningful. Managers know this will sustain, engage and enrich people.
• Magic Moments are nurtured. Make the most of these Magic Moments when managers engage with employees. Every connection you make, every day, has the potential to become a low point or a high point in someone's day. Make it a high point.
• Toxic aspects of the workplace are eliminated. Employees are allowed to find a sense of well-being at work so they leave each day enlightened, not depleted.

I have a dream. That this will touch everyone.

Check out the short video from The Employee Engagement Network.



http://www.involve.co.uk/

http://employeeengagement.ning.com/

7 out of 10 Americans say work unrecognized!

Posted by Curt Denevan:


MAJORITY OF AMERICANS “NOT FEELING THE LOVE” WHEN IT COMES
TO RECOGNITION BY EMPLOYERS, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND OTHERS

GLENVIEW, Ill. (Aug. 20, 2011) – When it comes to getting recognized for
their personal efforts, whether at work, helping others in their community or
volunteering, almost 7 out of 10 Americans say their work goes widely
unrecognized.

According to a 2011 survey of 1,000 Americans, fielded by TNS
Worldwide and the Awards and Recognition Association
(www.recognitionisrewarding.com) this summer, 69 percent of Americans have
not been recognized for personal efforts in the past year—either through work,
civic or volunteer programs.  
“It’s no secret that given the current economy employees are being asked
to do more and more, and community organizations are stretched thin of
volunteers so it’s surprising that companies and groups aren’t taking time to say
“thank you” to those working hard,” said Louise Ristau, executive director of
ARA, the industry organization promoting recognition.

According to Ristau, it doesn’t take a lot of time or money to implement a
recognition program, just a little effort.
“Taking notice of those around us giving extra effort and making a
difference, can be one of the easiest things we can do—from writing a note,
giving a pat on the back, or creating an award,“ she said.
Ristau and the team of experts at Recognition is Rewarding.com, the
Association’s recognition group, recommend starting with simple gestures that
can infuse positive energy and help boost morale.
“Recognition is something we can do regardless of the status of the
economy, which is particularly important when employers aren’t able to provide
staff with raises and bonuses,” she said.

GOOD DEEDS GO UNNOTICED—ADD ONE
Recognize, Reward, Repeat
The ARA has five tips for employers to start their own program to
recognize their employees.  All are designed to develop recognition that is
equally powerful for both the organization and the employee.  Tips include:

1. Make sure all employees must be eligible for the recognition. 
2. Be sure that both employers and employees have specific information about what behaviors or actions are being rewarded or recognized. 
3. Ensure that anyone who performs at the level or standard stated in the criteria receives the award. 
4. Take steps to recognize all honorees as close to the performance of the actions as possible so the recognition reinforces behavior the employer or organization wants to encourage. 
5. Be impartial.  Don’t design a process in which managers “select” the people to recognition.  This type of process will forever be viewed as “favoritism” or talked about as “It’s your turn to get recognized this month.” 

According to Ristau, another key to successful recognition is selecting the
most appropriate kind of award. Tangible, public awards are proven to be the
most effective, better than money or other means, to honor performance and
achievement, she said.
  Questions to ask when considering what type of award to use include:

• Does it represent what was accomplished? 
• Is it attractive enough to wear or keep at home or in the office? 
• Is it consistent with the purpose and image of the organization and/or accomplishment? 
• Is it right for the level of representative of the importance of the  achievement? 
• Is it in line with the budget/effort? 
• Is the award well-crafted from high quality/affordable materials? 

For additional guidelines for award program, visit www.rcbawards.com.

About the Awards and Recognition Association:
The Awards and Recognition Association (www.ara.org), an organization of
nearly 3,000 member companies dedicated to increasing the awareness of the
value and significance of awards and recognition programs.

Trends in Corporate Awards 2012

Posted by Curt Denevan:

Do you have a recognition program in your company? In May of 2011, World At Work-the Total Rewards Association, reported that 86% of companies have recognition programs in place. The average percent of payroll budgeted for recognition is at 2%, down from 2.7% in 2008, but still significant. Recognition programs for these companies boost employee satisfaction (71%), motivation (66%) and engagement (64%).  Awards for length of service are still the most prevalent, but more and more we are seeing companies using awards for “above and beyond” performance recognition (79%). The survey indicates that companies are opting in for programs that can have a more direct impact on their bottom line. That includes consideration of such things as engagement which leads to commitment and loyalty.

Trends in the awards industry show a tendency to continue or strengthen annual or quarterly award programs. There is a tendency toward centralization of awards purchases as buying decisions are increasingly made by the corporate office rather than individual departments.  Demand for awards is increasing according to those in the industry. More companies are working on custom awards, something unique to the marketplace, which only their company will have.  Corporations seem to be ordering more than they have in the past. They want to make sure their employees are recognized. Raises and promotions may not be as prevalent-or even possible. There is a tendency to try to motivate people to do more. When the economy isn’t all that great and sales may be down, recognition tends to be an economical way to boost sales activity.

Another interesting trend is a movement away from plaques and toward glass and crystal awards.  As companies look for something new and exciting to present, they are looking for awards that will be cubicle friendly. Corporate customers are looking for awards that look really classy, are personal in nature, and many cases, let the inscription or etching design carry the award. This allows the artistry of the award designer to become more valuable than the award itself. 

For more information, see RCB Awards.

Call 1-800-929-9110

Time to Ramp Up Recognition

Posted by Curt Denevan:

Let's face it: The past several years have been challenging. Employees that have a job are stressed out. More often than not they are doing the work of several people. Their supervisor runs around mumbling "be glad you've got a job" and things of that nature. Employers are often sending a message to employees, and not the one that is intended.

2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008. Everyone knows people out of work, friends and family both. In May of 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate had risen to 9.4%. Across the board, Americans felt losses of income, employment, wholesale-retail sales, and industrial production. It might be a natural conclusion that companies would take this opportunity to trim expenses, including employee recognition programs whose ROI are hard to track.

The reality is that this is far from the case. While it is difficult to track the return on investment, recognition programs clearly have a positive effect on employee morale and cutting these programs would cause that to plummet.

A recent study showed that 75 percent of HR managers indicated they are maintaining their employee recognition programs. This is even though they are cutting the budget in other areas of the company. Another 5% indicated they had increased their recognition budget. This is done while knowing that further layoffs are coming and these cuts will impact productivity levels.

In order to measure success metrics, companies recognize that they need to have employee recognition programs in place. To make your employee recognition program successful, measurable and personal, you need to start with the end result in mind. How can your company business strategy be linked to recognition in a measurable manner? This is key, and doesn't require complicated analysis. Senior management needs to buy into your recognition program and lead the way. If you want to improve employee satisfaction by 6%, then find a metric that can be measured and use that to drill down to get results. Since "employee satisfaction" isn't readily measurable, look instead at employee participation levels and other indicators of employee engagement that you have. Recognition programs are key indicators of employee participation. Identifying key supervisors that are lacking in recognition training becomes apparent when measuring participation levels. Those that are giving recognition regularly have higher participation and satisfaction levels. 



Another measurable metric is manager utilization of recognition. You may set a target of 75% manager utilization. If your managers understand and use recognition, they are more likely to take advantage of a system to practice giving it. With that system in place, you can see which managers are using the recognition system and which are not. 


Next step is to analyze your existing programs and identify which ones are working and which ones are not. Use employee surveys and ask employees directly what kinds of treatment they like and what they don't. Various firms offer surveys in cultural assessment and can offer cost effective surveys that will deliver on the spot metric results.


Implementing the right program is a key step to making recognition strategic and allow you to capture employee recognition activity in an efficient maner. Depending on the programs involved, you may want to outsource the administration of the program. Recognition nominations and reward redemptions may need to be on an outsourced platform if your staff can not support it. Don't tackle projects that you can not support long term.


As you study your metrics and understand the results, what does the data tell you about the workforce and employee recognition? Your data has to be measurable. How many employees were nominated in the month of July for the Mentoring Award? If you have a formal system in place to track this, it is possible to assess participation rates by managers and employees. This data can then be correlated to employee engagement to assess participation rates. 


Measure employee attitudes with straightforward survey questions. Make sure your employees feel empowered and free to answer and express their true thoughts in a open and candid maner.  We have seen the best success from companies that have:

• a framework for strategy
• have executive buy in
• the systems in place to capture data and effectively measure their employee recognition practices for ROI justification. 

Measurement of recognition metrics will also show employee accomplishments and areas for employee improvement. When the time comes to evaluate, having the data is the key to success.


Do you struggle with ROI on employee recognition programs? One area to look at is comparing the production of the long-term employee with the cost to attract, recruit, train and retrain a new employee. Employee turnover costs and retention rates are quantifiable. You can use this as you look at justifying length of service recognition programs and the value to the organization. 


Employees like recognition. It can be a pat on the back, a formal thank you, a group presentation, an incentive, a gift or a symbolic award. If you have the opportunity to upgrade your recognition, now is a good time. Success is measured by the stories we hear, the data that is produced, the money saved, the talent we train and the smiles on our employees' faces during this recession. This proves why we need recognition programs.  

Plaque Phrases and Sayings for Award Presentations

Posted by Curt Denevan:

Click the title for a great collection from the Awards and Recognition Association about phrases for common award situations and sample layouts for plaques.

On-The-Spot Recognition Programs: Instant Awards Points Cards

Posted by Curt Denevan:

Are you looking for ways of implementing an on-the-spot recognition program, but need an easy way to implement the program and still control the budget? Here you go!

• Review your program goals and objectives.
• Key in on a handful of meaningful targets that can be implemented.
• Determine your budget.
• Establish the timeline.
• Prepare communications: announcement, tracking and follow up.
• Order recognition cards in denominations that fit your budget.
• When you catch someone doing something right, present them with a card!
• Watch what happens next. The recipient can go to the website and cash in right away, or they can save them up and cash them in all at once.
• Each card has a unique award code, unique to that card, so it can only be used once.
• They have no expiration date nor additional fees and are available in denominations of $1, $3, $5, 10, $15, $20, 25, $50, $100.
• Orders arrive in 10-14 business days.
• Unused points are kept in the employee points account for future purchases.
• Points cards are password protected for security.

How can you make sure the program is successful?

• Let them know what you are recognizing. Be specific. What they did to be recognized?
• Connect their behavior to the organization's values and mission.
• Recognize how the behavior represents the employee's best qualities, such as integrity, dedication, or accountability.

Here are just a few reasons to recognize an employee on-the-spot with an Instant Award Points Card.

• Always willing to help another employee
• Taking initiative when needed
• Making it happen
• Stepping up and leading
• Providing outstanding customer service
• Sharing new ideas
• Having a fantastic attitude
• Having a positive approach to a problem
• Being resourceful in accomplishing goals
• Meeting a deadline on time
• Going above and beyond expectations
• Contributing to a project's success
• Staying the course
• Being a team player
• Exhibiting dedication day in and day out
• Acting as a mentor
• Showing a can-do spirit
• Thinking out of the box
• Consideration of others

For more information, contact RCB at 800-929-9110.  RCB Awards

Its All About The Ring

Posted by Curt Denevan:

The world of professional sports has the one ultimate goal defining success for an athlete. The Ring. The Championship Ring. 

In spite of the NFL lockout, the presentation of the Championship Rings to the Green Bay Packers players, staff and executives was an event that was not going to be missed. The team got special permission from the NFL to hold the event, and all but three players were in attendance (one was in the delivery room with his wife).  Charles Woodson played for a lot of dreadful teams over the years, and it was always his dream to win the Ring. Executive Mark Murphy talked about how the Ring symbolizes the Packers championship tradition in excellent fashion.

Clearly the pride of winning the biggest prize of them all is evident in the smiles, and even the peace pipe that owners and players smoked during this truce in the NFL war. Contrast this with the far out attitude of Mark Cuban, NBA owner, whose Dallas Mavericks just won the NBA Championship. While his players, coaches and front office staff were clearly looking forward to getting a ring, he burst everyone's bubble with the announcement that there would be no ring for the NBA World Champions. Perhaps a Championship Bracelet, he suggested? The team, not a single one of which had ever won a championship ring, were all opposed to this. To a player, they all scoffed at Cuban's notion that a ring was old school and thus no longer relevant. He said he wants to take it to the next level, with something different. I don't think so!

Athletes want the Ring. Owners want the Ring (well, most), and staff want the ring. The NFL pays $5,000 per ring, up to 150 rings, and the teams pick up any additional cost. The 4 marquis diamonds on the Packers ring represent 4 World Championships. 13 diamonds in the G represent each of the 13 NFL Championships. The 92 smaller diamonds represent the 92 year history of the club. Lambeau Field is on one shank, the Lombardi Trophy is on the other. The players jersey number is circled, just like on the first jersey the team wore. The inside of the ring is engraved Mind, Goal, Purpose, Heart, which was the inspirational motto of the team. The rings are made of platinum, with 14K gold, and weigh 116 grams. Wow! Fans can order their own version of the ring, also made by Jostens, at the Packers Pro Shop.

It's all about the ring. Don't doubt this. After 14 seasons for Charles Woodson, it just doesn't get any sweeter than this.