Why Recognition Programs Fail
20-Jan-12, 08:48 AM

The 2011 WorldatWork Trends in Employee Recognition Survey states that 86% of organizations have some type of employee recognition in place. So, one would assume if the majority of corporations have a recognition program in place then employee engagment must be high, right? But read on.

• 90% of the respondents indicate they have a service award program.
• Almost 50% of the survey respondents indicated they have no written strategy behind their organizations recognition program.
• Only 14% of the respondents train their managers on effective recognition.
• 37% of senior management shows a high level of support.

I see gaps in recognition when looking at these results. If you want to have an effective recognition program you need to determine the objectives behind the effort and how the recognition will align with the corporate mission, values and beliefs. What behaviours are important to the corporation? Design your recognition around rewarding these behaviours. Communicate the desired behaviours to your employees.

Train management how to effectively identify and recognize these desired behaviours. Educate employees on recognition and how to effectively promote peer to peer recognition. Educate your employees on the desired behaviours so that they understand what types of behaviour will be recognized, praised and awarded.

Senior management is always concerned with the bottom line. In order to get full buy-in and support from the senior executive you need to have a complete recognition strategy in place as well as the method to determine the real Return on Investment that truly takes into account all external and internal influences. The Phillips Methodology of determining ROI will give you both tangible and intangible results. Results which will garner the support you need to roll out a recognition program that will engage your employees.

We have assembled a team of Certified Recognition Professionals trained in the Recognition Professionals Best Standards. We have professional educators and recognition consultants as well as clinical professionals. We are trained on the Phillips Methodology of ROI. Our team will work with you to determine the direction and design of the recognition program and help you with management buy-in, provide training, communication, implementation, ROI, and evaluation. We have a scalable, global recognition platform with awards sourced locally by region.

Contact me for more information. Rick Clarke rclarke@rdcorporate.com 1-888-752-2238 ext 222 905-567-6706 ext 222