Rewards can motivate employees across company
It’s a not-so-secret weapon that’s being used regularly by successful businesses worldwide.
To drive revenue and gain an edge on the competition, sales-driven organizations are providing perks and extra incentives to motivate their best people to meet ambitious sales targets.
This tactic to increase sales has proved successful for thousands of companies in North America. According to a 2002 survey by the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives of 145 organizations in the United States, 92 per cent of sales representatives cited rewards and recognition programs as their primary motivator for meeting targets.
With this kind of feedback from sales employees, it seems well worth considering using a rewards and recognition program for other areas of business. Sales-driven programs are used to motivate employees to increase their client base, consistently improve their targets and, ultimately, drive the bottom line. But what about the HR team? Call centre staff? Front-line service people? They’re important to the business too. Could a sales-style rewards and recognition program inspire similar success for these employees?
The simple answer is yes. Rob Catalano, a marketing manager with I Love Rewards in Toronto, said the goal of any company is to recruit and retain the very best employees and motivate them to do their jobs exceptionally well.
“These great employees, regardless of their role in a company, need to be recognized and rewarded as valuable members of a winning team,” he said. “Essentially, rewards and recognition programs should be used to motivate and inspire desired behaviours from the employee.”
Below are three examples of rewards and recognition programs for non-sales employees.
Instant rewards
Almost more than receiving the reward itself, employees love to be recognized for their efforts and achievements. And time is often of the essence.
With an instant rewards program, employees are rewarded immediately for going the extra mile. Whether it’s helping co-workers complete a difficult task, staying late or offering to organize the company holiday party, show employees their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed and reward them with a token of appreciation. And be sure to do it publicly. When other employees become aware of an instant rewards program, they’ll work towards becoming future candidates for recognition themselves.
‘Model employee’ rewards
Using incentives to reward good behaviour in the workplace can turn top employees into role models. This usually leads to a sharp decline in undesired behaviours that can hurt a business. Take the example of a call centre with an average of 10 per cent of its workforce calling in sick on any given day and a significant problem with lateness.
A program that tracks and rewards employees who are able to arrive on time for work could put a significant dent in the problem. A monthly points-based reward that multiplies each consecutive month the employee is able to maintain a perfect attendance record could encourage the behaviour long-term, thereby boosting attendance, punctuality and productivity.
Health and wellness rewards
Work-life balance is critical and a healthier employee is a more productive one. Programs that reward employees for participating in health and wellness-related activities are an excellent way to motivate positive employee behaviour and team-building skills — not to mention cutting down on all those sick days.
Programs can reward employees for joining a gym, participating in, or coaching, a team sport and quitting smoking.
“Some companies still consider rewards and recognition programs to be a cost rather than an investment,” said I Love Rewards’ Catalano. “The companies that understand the value of rewards and recognition are now easily surpassing the others in the marketplace.”
Amy Cole is the public relations co-ordinator for I Love Rewards Inc., a Toronto-based incentive marketing company. She can be reached at [email protected].
To drive revenue and gain an edge on the competition, sales-driven organizations are providing perks and extra incentives to motivate their best people to meet ambitious sales targets.
This tactic to increase sales has proved successful for thousands of companies in North America. According to a 2002 survey by the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives of 145 organizations in the United States, 92 per cent of sales representatives cited rewards and recognition programs as their primary motivator for meeting targets.
With this kind of feedback from sales employees, it seems well worth considering using a rewards and recognition program for other areas of business. Sales-driven programs are used to motivate employees to increase their client base, consistently improve their targets and, ultimately, drive the bottom line. But what about the HR team? Call centre staff? Front-line service people? They’re important to the business too. Could a sales-style rewards and recognition program inspire similar success for these employees?
The simple answer is yes. Rob Catalano, a marketing manager with I Love Rewards in Toronto, said the goal of any company is to recruit and retain the very best employees and motivate them to do their jobs exceptionally well.
“These great employees, regardless of their role in a company, need to be recognized and rewarded as valuable members of a winning team,” he said. “Essentially, rewards and recognition programs should be used to motivate and inspire desired behaviours from the employee.”
Below are three examples of rewards and recognition programs for non-sales employees.
Instant rewards
Almost more than receiving the reward itself, employees love to be recognized for their efforts and achievements. And time is often of the essence.
With an instant rewards program, employees are rewarded immediately for going the extra mile. Whether it’s helping co-workers complete a difficult task, staying late or offering to organize the company holiday party, show employees their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed and reward them with a token of appreciation. And be sure to do it publicly. When other employees become aware of an instant rewards program, they’ll work towards becoming future candidates for recognition themselves.
‘Model employee’ rewards
Using incentives to reward good behaviour in the workplace can turn top employees into role models. This usually leads to a sharp decline in undesired behaviours that can hurt a business. Take the example of a call centre with an average of 10 per cent of its workforce calling in sick on any given day and a significant problem with lateness.
A program that tracks and rewards employees who are able to arrive on time for work could put a significant dent in the problem. A monthly points-based reward that multiplies each consecutive month the employee is able to maintain a perfect attendance record could encourage the behaviour long-term, thereby boosting attendance, punctuality and productivity.
Health and wellness rewards
Work-life balance is critical and a healthier employee is a more productive one. Programs that reward employees for participating in health and wellness-related activities are an excellent way to motivate positive employee behaviour and team-building skills — not to mention cutting down on all those sick days.
Programs can reward employees for joining a gym, participating in, or coaching, a team sport and quitting smoking.
“Some companies still consider rewards and recognition programs to be a cost rather than an investment,” said I Love Rewards’ Catalano. “The companies that understand the value of rewards and recognition are now easily surpassing the others in the marketplace.”
Amy Cole is the public relations co-ordinator for I Love Rewards Inc., a Toronto-based incentive marketing company. She can be reached at [email protected].
