News/Articles

Make it Special

By Heidi Waldrop Bay

Don't Dismiss the Details When Rolling Out Your Next Reward Program

The executive vice president at the bank was convinced that he had the perfect recognition program. Nominations would be made over a period of several months, then he and his staff would review them and the winner would "Get to go to a Rolling Stones concert with me."

When Stillman St. Clair heard his friend's plan he was aghast at the potential for failure. Would every employee see it as a great reward to go to a rock concert with their boss? What if they didn't like the Rolling Stones? What if they were completely intimidated by that kind of casual intimacy with the top dog at the bank, or their spouse was scared silly by the whole idea?

The usually savvy executive hadn't considered any of these questions: He simply chose the reward because he himself loved the Rolling Stones and figured it would be what an employee would want.

In fact, this notion is exactly opposite of what makes an employee recognition program impactful, according to St. Clair, who is director of the workforce performance group for St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Incentives. "An effective recognition is a very personal thing, and making it special means paying close attention to the employee's preferences, interests and personality," he says. "It is critical that you know your people or you could completely undermine the program."

Approach to Presentation

Presentation can make or break the entire award, and for many people it is more meaningful than the gift item itself. "We can't stress enough how important it is to make presenting the award compelling and relevant to that individual. Know your audience and what they would enjoy," says Michelle M. Smith CPIM, vice president of business development for Salt Lake City, Utah-based O.C. Tanner. "For those people who love public recognition it is best to gather the person's peers around in the office and say 'Guess what Joe did that was so great.'"

Others might like a semi-public reward, like an awards dinner where several people are highlighted. But there will be some people who are absolutely mortified—and certainly not feeling rewarded—by a public display. They might appreciate being brought into the manager's office to be praised and given a reward for their efforts one-on-one.

Method of Delivery

Making the recipient feel special is critical. It is also important to make sure the presenter is both sincere and specific, according to O.C. Tanner's Smith. "Think of something quantifiable that you can speak to and bring in the details so that the recipient understands exactly what they are getting the reward for," she says. "I might say,'Jane, the other night when we had the power failure and you stayed, using the flashlight to hunt through the files for that information for a client, that was great.'"

When calling out those details it is vital to make sure they are right, from pronouncing the name correctly, to knowing the facts about what exactly the person did. "And tie those facts back to the specific mission, vision or value of the corporation, saying something like 'Boy, when you stayed the other night Jane, that is what we mean when we talk about our corporate goal of supreme customer service. For that effort, we want to recognize you,'" says Smith. The added benefit of such specificity when the presentation is public is that everyone else learns from that experience what it looks like to go above and beyond.

An Individualized Reward

A little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to having an effective award impact. Do recipients value being able to choose their own award—and therefore feel special because they are given that choice—or would they be bowled over by getting
presented with a specific gift?

If it is the first, experts emphasize making sure the assortment of gift options is broad enough to address the various demographics of the audience. If presenting a specific gift is the order of the day, Stillman St. Clair of Maritz Incentives suggests spending the effort to do some brief research and key the reward into their particular interest. "It is easy to make a person feel special if you know something about their interests and their family," he says, explaining how just a bit of customization goes a long way. "Say you have a guy who works for you and you know he is very into golf. He has done something above and beyond, so you say'Why don't you take the afternoon off and we'll cover your work while you go play a round of golf at this really wonderful golf course.' There is a bit of risk there, because you are choosing for the person, but it has huge impact. He's thinking, 'Wow. My boss knows I love golf, and he went to all this trouble to arrange this because I did something for the company.'"

A Personal Note

In the hearts of most employees, nothing beats the power of a personal note from an executive. The higher the level of management, the more special it becomes. "In our industry we tend to focus on the big stuff, that 'wow' reward, but it really is the simple pat on the back that matters most to people. Those handwritten notes are worth their weight in gold," says St. Clair. "They end up getting posted on office doors and bulletin boards and stay there for months, or even years."

St. Clair believes it is even okay to type some of the notes on the computer, as long as the personal piece is there. "If I want to recognize someone, I might send her an e-mail, but I would also want to print it out and deliver it in person," says St. Clair, likening this practice to exercise—something is better than nothing. "If I have a frantic schedule and only have time to do it on the computer, then it is better than nothing. But it is always best if I can hand-write a note to the person."

© 2006, Incentive Magazine, www.incentivemag.com, VNU eMedia Inc.