Employee Engagement Program

Employee rewards and incentives play an important part in driving engagement and allowing you to increase productivity and motivation however, if a program isn't implemented properly it may have the opposite effect. The last thing that you want for your business is a program that is lack-lustre, insincere, or mocked by your employees. That doesn't mean that you need to spend big bucks:, it’s often the smaller, lower cost, heartfelt gestures that have the biggest impact. In order to make your program and employee rewards really count for something try following these simple guidelines:

• • Be Specific

    Make sure that your employees know what they did to deserve a reward and why that behaviour is desirable. Handing out rewards without giving your employees the understanding to go with it will make your program seem arbitrary and lacking in substance. It may even lead to accusations of favoritism.

• • Be Sincere

    Being genuine and honest are important qualities in every walk of life but when praising someone for doing a good job it is vital. Without sincerity, your employees will see through your gesture immediately and will surmise that you are rewarding them for your own personal gain rather than issuing genuine recognition. Remember why you implemented the program originally and remember that your employees are helping to make your business a success.

• • Be Positive

    A job well done is something to be rewarded but employee rewards will mean nothing if they are followed by a ‘but’, as in “you did a great job but next time…” The added phrase will likely be all that the employee remembers. If you really feel the need to make the negative comment, do it separately so that you do not diminish the reward.

• • Be Swift

    The longer you wait between action and reward, the less impact the recognition will have. It’s important to reward behaviour immediately.

• • Be Personal

    Gear the employee rewards and the presentation to the person that you are giving it to. Making it personal shows that you are genuine about the recognition and it will help you to build strong positive relationships with your team. And don’t forget – the more that your employees like you the harder they will work for you!

It’s easy to create an employee rewards program but to properly drive engagement it has to be done correctly. By following the above guidelines, you’ll be able increase productivity, motivation, and efficiency in no time!