In the last post I talked about my reputation as a numbers guy and how I had never been too adept at handling the human side of business. While I was always able to work to my strengths before, now I was in a position where I had to face my weakness because I was the owner of my own company. This wasn’t going to go away; I needed to be able to communicate with and motivate my own employees. The employee recognition program that I put into place helped me do that.

Working with an experienced, reputable company in the industry I was able to put into place something that would really motivate my employees - and would communicate, even when I was not able to adequately do so, how much we appreciated their hard work. The way that the employee program worked was like this:

As a mid-sized company we had hundreds of different goals on a daily basis. Obviously we wanted to grow business and make money but - in addition to sales goals - there were goals that had to do with delivering excellent customer service, keeping the workplace safe and accident-free, and more. We determined which goals were important to us as a company and really spelling it out was enormously helpful.

Once we recognized our goals we were able to match incentives with particular goals. This was the fun part where we could identify which goals were worthy of which incentives and choose the incentive prizes that were within our budget. The great thing about the employee incentives is that we can always make changes based on our budget and how the company grows in the future.

We were then able to communicate this program to our employees which helped me specifically because I had something exciting to share. This would mark a new era for me in terms of improving my role as owner and manager.

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There are many challenges in business; many obstacles that business owners face in not only keeping things up and running smoothly but achieving success. Finances are always something to consider obviously and can make or break operations but so too can a variety of circumstances. Sometimes it is clear what needs to be fixed and even how it can be overcome; but sometimes the road to recovery is more subjective. Employee morale, for instance, can seriously impact business operations but it can be difficult for business owners and management to know how best to approach this dilemma. For us, we found recovery through an employee recognition program.

We are certainly not immune to the current economic conditions and they have seriously impacted our operations but not in the way that you might expect. The tightening of our belts - and the atmosphere of this economic downturn - had taken its toll on our employees and lowered morale was what was ultimately impacting our business. Production was down because employees had lost their fire; they felt like no matter what they did nothing changed and we were not able to compensate them monetarily which was making people even more upset.

We decided to try something that had been suggested to us - an employee incentives program through which we could formally recognize the efforts of our employees by rewarding them with a variety of prize incentives from which they could choose. We didn’t need to be extravagant in choosing these prizes; we could work within our budget and still provide our employees a great selection of prizes. Just making this effort could affect morale and put us in a better place with our employees; something that we desperately needed if we were going to make it through this time. What we didn’t count on was how much an employee recognition program would change everything. More in the next post…

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When we first put our employee incentives program into place I was working with very little money and still a very strong desire to help motivate employees and raise morale. It didn’t take much to understand the strong connection between employee morale and solid production. Employees who are not happy are typically not working to their full capacity and business as a whole suffers. I wanted a way that I could continually motivate employees and raise my game through the process. An environment that helps to motivate employees helps to fuel business and that was my goal in putting together a rewards program.

An employee recognition program allowed me to put particular goals in place; objectives that I thought were in keeping with our superior standards, whether in sales or safety. Those employees who reached these goals were given the opportunity to choose from among a selection of rewards - or prizes - offered through the employee recognition program. In the beginning I didn’t have a big budget for this program but that was the great thing about it; I could still show my employees that I appreciated their hard work and offer them a prize that was substantial without breaking the bank.

I can tell you that our employee incentives program was a hit from the beginning. Obviously everyone is working for a salary - but when you throw something extra into the mix, even something small, it’s often just the spark that people need to hit the ground running.

Now that my company has grown (in no small part to the hard work of my employees) I am able to grow and change our employee incentives program - offering bigger prizes that will hopefully keep our company strong and thriving well into the future. I do not regret implementing an employee program and I’m happy that I’m able to make it an even better program for my employees year after year.

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I have never asked to get rich doing what I’m doing. I love my job, I love to come to work and I’m passionate about what I do. The most I have ever asked is to be recognized for my efforts; for those who I work for to see what I do day to day and to appreciate the hard work and passion I bring to the table every day. I have worked for the same company for over a decade and for most of that time I have felt truly appreciated by management. Over the last several years, however, as I have watched ownership change hands, I have felt rather ignored by management. I started to feel as though nothing I was doing was making any difference. Plus, with finances being what they have been none of us have gotten a raise in nearly two years. It was getting frustrating. Then my company put together an employee recognition program.

Basically how it works is like this…company management had a company wide meeting in which we were given the ground rules. They identified certain goals that they wanted to reach during the course of a year and showed us that if we reached the goals that they had set up that we would have the opportunity to choose a prize from our prize incentives.

This employee incentives program gave me the motivation that I needed - the spark that I was missing. We were finally given the clear definition of what management was looking for - the goals that we were all looking to achieve. I was able to re-focus my energies and work towards the goals at hand, knowing that I could have the opportunity to choose a great prize - from electronics to weekend trips. I know that this employee program has worked for me and I feel as though we are once again being recognized for our efforts.

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What do you do when production in your company is at an all time low? Aside from looking at economic factors on a large scale (something we can do nothing about), you look at operations within your company. What is working and what isn’t? What changes can be made to loosen things up and get things moving? What’s clogging the system? For me it was employee morale and if I had been more on top of things I would have seen that coming. This was a bad year - a year without salary increases or bonuses; a year in which my employees went above and beyond in getting everything done when they had no help. They were worn out, strung out, and not very motivated to continue moving. Then I put together an employee incentives program.

This was just the spark my employees needed to stay on track - to stay motivated. An employee recognition program, as its name suggests, recognizes employees’ worth by allowing them to choose from among a group of set prize incentives. These are totally customizable programs that can be arranged to meet your needs and your budget - and can be changed just as easily when your needs or budget changes. I put together a small, but interesting, employee program that offered prize incentives for employees that reached particular sales goals, production goals, and safety goals. It caused a big stir when I first announced the rewards program and I could tell right away that it was going to ignite the competitive spirit in my employees. More importantly, however, the employee program was going to assure them that management was watching and was thankful for all that they had done and would continue to do. There’s not much I can do right now for my employees but this was a great way to say thank you and it made all the difference in the world.

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My company will begin this New Year as a neophyte in the business world; a newbie in the industry. Just four months old, the company is holding its own even in a tough economy and I have to hand it to my small group of employees for sticking with me and working so hard to get everything done. I wish that I could pay them more but as a new company the bottom line is ultra-important and I’m just happy to have my head above water right now. What I have decided to do, however, is to implement an employee incentives program; something to give my employees the confidence that their work is being acknowledged and is appreciated.

An employee recognition program sets up goals that the employees are expected to reach and the prize incentives that match those goals. The company that I worked with to set up my rewards program was great in their understanding that I did not have a lot of money to work with but still wanted to do something nice for my employees. They helped me understand that the scope of the employee program was entirely up to me - scaled to match my budget instead of the other way around. Then, as my company grows I can revisit the employee recognition program and make whatever changes I want to make.

Right now the employee recognition program that I’m using includes small electronics and jewelry - not overly expensive prize incentives by any means but still things that are appealing to employees and things that they may put in extra effort to get by reaching the pre-determined goals that we have outlined. This employee recognition program stays within my budget and honors the needs of a small business - while still motivating employees like any large corporation.

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The holidays are a time during which we find it easier to celebrate each other; to say thank you and tell people how we feel about them. For company owners this may be a time when it’s more comfortable to tell your employees how much their work means to the overall success of the business, and if you’re lucky enough to do so - especially in this economy - you may even distribute holiday bonuses. While it’s great to communicate this sentiment - bonus included or not - during this special time of year, it’s important that the appreciation and open communication continue throughout the year. Employees who feel that they have an open door to those in charge - and that their efforts are recognized - are happier employees; and happier employees are more productive employees.

This coming New Year if you’re considering the things that you can change to make your company more effective, consider the things you can do to better support your employees in their efforts. An employee recognition program is a great way to start the New Year off the right way - giving company owners and management an effective vehicle for recognizing their employees’ work and, more than that, getting into the habit of doing so through an organized and structured program. On the flip side, employees now know what is expected of them and know that in reaching particular goals - set out by management - they are eligible to receive a variety of prize incentives.

Employee incentives do not have to be an expensive undertaking. In fact, employee recognition programs only have to be as expensive as you want them to be, depending on your budget and you can always shift gears and expand your program as your budget changes. No matter what you choose as your prize tier, however, the objective is always to honor your employees and the work that they do everyday.

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When you own and operate a small company like I do you tend to come into contact with all of your employees in some capacity or another on a daily basis. This is certainly a perk of size as it allows you to have personal conversations with people and to tell employees face to face how much their work means to you as a company and to discuss with them any issues that may arise. But sometimes even that is not enough. Words are great in terms of employee recognition and it has been something that I have taken quite seriously in my role as owner. I try to reach out to employes as often as possible and to let them know that I notice what they are doing and the times in which they go above and beyond to help our company grow. But I felt like there was something more that I could be doing and I found it through an employee incentives program.

A friend who also owns a business of the same size implemented a rewards program last year and has raved about it ever since. I couldn’t do much in the way of bonuses this year because of the economy but I could figure out a way to put together an employee program that made sense for everyone; so I called the company with which my friend had worked.

It’s been several months now since I started an employee recognition program and I can’t say enough how much it has helped to raise morale in our company. I have put my money where my mouth is in terms of telling my employees that I appreciate their work - giving them clear cut goals to shoot for and a host of prizes to choose from when they reach those goals.

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One of the best ways to raise morale to the benefit of a company is to get workers excited and keep them that way. When an employee incentives program is crafted with care and put into action, it can have the perfect effect.

If you want to get your employees jazzed up about coming into work, creating a rewards program can do the trick. Employee recognition provides workers with an extra benefit for getting a job done right. This type of program can also serve as an added, and much-appreciated, thank you for workers who perform.

To get employees excited about incentive programs and the rewards offered, make sure to do these things:

Take care when selecting rewards – Employee recognition programs that have rewards attached should offer items that employees actually covet. Making sure this is the case can kick up the excitement level and entice workers to go above and beyond to earn rewards. A reputable company that facilitates rewards programs can help with prize selection and budgeting.

Keep criteria fair – Make sure workers known what goes into selecting winners and what they can do to increase their chances. Employee incentives should not be unattainable, but they should motivate workers to achieve.

Expedite delivery of rewards – A good rewards program doesn’t have employees waiting forever to get their prizes. A program facilitator can really help on this end. Not only will they assist in providing a variety of prizes within the budget, but also in making sure employees can pick what they want and have their choices delivered to their doors.

Employee incentives can keep workers talking in a good way. When it’s time to kick up excitement about coming to work, this type of program can get the job done.

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Motivation comes and goes in every facet of life; we’ve all been there where one day we were all pumped up and the next we find it difficult to focus. This is certainly true in the world of business and most assuredly true for employees who are challenged to keep their motivation on an even keel each and every day so that they can be as productive as possible – and deliver what is expected of them. We worked hard every day to try to maintain the morale within our company but it had gotten to be difficult in light of the current economic conditions. We noticed that our employees were struggling; seeming tired and unfocused. It was time to liven things up and put a new goal out there towards which everyone could work. That was when we decided to implement a rewards program.

An employee recognition program allowed us to pre-determine objectives that we wanted to reach as a company and those goals that we wanted our employees to reach on an individual basis. We were then able to choose the prizes – the incentives – that worked for us and were within the budget that we wanted to keep. We chose a variety of really great prizes – that got better and better depending on the prize tier that the employee reached.

Before we knew it morale was back up as employees not only worked towards these prizes but talked about them and engaged in friendly competition with each other. Our employee incentives program really worked to refocus our energy and get people moving in the right direction again. Best of all, this was a program that we could continually adjust according to our needs – something that we could utilize for years to come but changing the prizes to keep it new and exciting.

Popularity: 92% [?]

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