When Employee Awards Work…and When They Don’t

It’s always nice to see articles in the main stream media that deal with my favorite subject, rewarding and recognizing employees. This post found on the ABC News/Money blog got it just right. It says many of the things that I’ve been saying for years, so it’s nice to get reinforcement in what we know to be true coming from enlightened reporting.

Many of us in the award industry have been saying these things for years, and for years we think we are speaking to deaf ears. I am always amazed at just how arrogant some company management can be when it comes to Employee awards. It’s a real shame when something that is supposed to be a positive event for someone turns into something so negative. And I’ve seen it for years and could recount example after example of watching people leave a recognition event in tears of frustration and anger or worse. You certainly don’t want an employee to quit because of the award they received or how the award was presented to them. But make no mistake; that has happened and will happen again.

I know that management doesn’t do these things on purpose. But they do occur and they occur because folks just don’t take the time to first ask the right questions of what they’re trying to accomplish (an absolute key) and then do some quality planning to design your program to answer the questions you’ve outlined. Worse they give the task of designing the program to those who will ultimately design it to their own image or how they think is the right way to do it. After all this is not rocket science is it? So anyone can do it! Sorry, wrong!

There are all kinds of ways to recognize performance; many don’t have to cost you money. Often, a kind word, a simple thank you or asking for advice from someone who works for you can go a long way. If you are going to use something tangible, make absolutely sure that it’s what the recipient wants, or it may backfire on you. Some examples…loaded chocolate basket to the diabetic trying to control their blood sugar, or the “wine of the month” program to someone who doesn’t drink alcoholic beverages. I’ve seen all of this first hand and many other such examples.

Anyone who has read this blog (thanks for those who do) knows that I am shamelessly in support of using gift cards as awards, and specifically the Award of Choice or other systems like it. With a system like this your employees can choose the gift card that they really want which will guarantee they will receive the award that they really want.

I’m not a fan of those crystal bowls, or silver candelabra (too many tucked away in drawers) or the plaques, (the vast majority of which are never displayed) or a catalog of merchandise awards (the same awards you can get with gift cards but at half the price.) I’m just a fan of the best possible value and choice for the employee.

So when you’re thinking of designing your award recognition program, think about those award programs that work and those that don’t, and plan yours so it does. While you’re at it make sure you get a budget approved so you can make the award worthwhile. There’s nothing worse than awarding a restaurant gift card to someone where they have to go to dinner alone...that’s one of those programs that doesn’t work!