What Drives Employees To Perform? Part 4

As our 10-part series continues, Robert Gray, President of Insightlink Communications identifies the 5th top driver of employee engagement according to Survey of the American Workforce, a recently completed national survey conducted annually by Insightlink.

Enjoying what you do was found to be the number one driver and the single most important motivator of job satisfaction in the US today. The 5th most important driver is Reward and Recognition and this it turns out,  is the one nearly every employer blows. Fewer than four-in-ten employees give employers high marks for reward and recognition.

Still, a number of employers understand the importance of awards and incentives that highlight, validate and value outstanding work. Such programs keep employees motivated and are effective methods of reinforcing corporate expectations and objectives. To this end, research suggests that formally recognizing between 5 percent and 8 percent of a workforce every week is the tipping point between a forgettable recognition program and one that becomes strategic to the organization.

Effective programs include:

• A multi-tiered system ranging from an email-based thank you message that any employee can issue to any another colleague up to and including high-value awards distributed by senior leadership
• A peer-to-peer recognition program using prepaid gift cards. After an employee nominates a colleague for an award, an email notification is then sent to the appropriate manager for approval. Once approved, a prepaid card goes to the recipient. All awards must be for a specific action taken and nominators must explain how that action advances one of the organization’s strategic principles.
• A great idea program where employees can win a high value prize (such as one-week, all-expense-paid trip for two) if they suggest a really innovative idea. Every 6 months, all of the ideas submitted during that time are then judged based on their originality, potential impact on the organization and how readily they can be implemented.

A successful reward and recognition program includes senior management commitment, clearly defined goals, effective promotion with consistent communications, appropriate incentives and rewards based on employees wants, needs and demographics and keeping current with industry trends and applicable tax laws and regulations.
 
It is important to remember that bad attitudes are pervasive and when morale drops, individuals stop thinking big picture goals and they begin to focus on themselves and self preservation. The best way, we believe, to find out what your employees are thinking is to conduct an employee survey and ask them. If we can help please let us know by contacting us at info@insightlink.com for more information, or to get pricing click here, or feel free to contact us at 866-802-8095 ext. 705.