Employee travel rewards are common and have been since the days of service crystals and 5- year pins. But the way they are being applied in today’s employee reward environment is changing and evolving. Here are three ways employee travel rewards are changing and can be used to maximize effectiveness.

Done right, an employee recognition program can promote loyalty, boost motivation, and increase productivity. But a lot of employee recognition programs get it wrong. We know this because the programs aren’t successful, and while money is being put into programs year after year, the end goal isn’t met. So how do you avoid investing in a program that fails? FastCompany identifies 3 of the most common screw-ups:

We talked before about the shift in reward and incentive programs. Employers must now take into account that each workplace is usually comprised of 3 different generations, Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials. Each of these generations defines a “valuable reward” in different ways. This shift in rewarding now involves turning away from the idea of general cash rewards and taking a more personalized approach to the individuals you are trying to motivate or reward.

Today is National Employee Appreciation Day. Did you know that? If you missed it you’re not alone. In a day and age where employee appreciation is paramount to workplace environment and culture, how can we not know about this seemingly important day? Here’s a quick FAQ guide to ensure you show employee appreciation appropriately all year round.

Employee engagement remains a critical part of HR programs and a big challenge going further into 2016. While every expert is discussing engagement trends, here are three trends to help you get started in boosting your employee engagement.