While waiting at a salon for my appointment, I noticed that they had displayed a picture of “Employee of the Month” on the reception wall. While I was still reading the explanation about why that particular individual had won, a chirpy voice greeted me with a pleasing smile “Ma’am your stylist will be attending you in 10 mins, would you like to have some refreshments while you wait”? I found her face familiar, and it took me a few seconds to realize, she was the same employee whose image was pinned up on the wall – Ankita from the Housekeeping staff. I told her – “Hey, Isn’t that you – congratulations” And her face beamed with pride.

When it comes to Rewards & Recognition, our immediate instinct is monetary rewards. However, we tend to forget the basics of thanking or appreciating someone. Organizations tend to spend a huge amount on fancy rewards but still get to hear from their employees that they do not feel valued. That is because most often it lacks personalization and thoughtfulness. Thanking someone is such a simple thing to do, but yet we often don’t get it right.

Here are a few simple strategies to make your organization’s Rewards & Recognition Program effective:

1. Define the purpose of your Rewards Program

A successful Rewards Program starts with outlining the objective by asking questions such as:

a.      What I’m I rewarding? – Performance, Behaviors or Values

Scenario: Do I want to reward only high performers or should there be a special appreciation for effort. For eg: A “Dark Horse Award” for someone who showed vast improvement while being on a PIP or Einstein Award for promoting a culture of innovation.

b.      Who I’m I rewarding? Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z or Baby Boomers

A “one-size fits all” would not be the right approach when you have employees spread across different age groups.

c.      How will I measure success?

What metrics will define the success of your R&R program? For eg: Increase in employee happiness score, reduced attrition rates, Post program feedback scores, retention of high performers etc

Give employees the “Choice” of how they want to be rewarded.

Digital reward platforms have revolutionized the way we recognize employees by giving them a choice to choose from a plethora of brands and experiences rather than we deciding what’s appropriate. Ask employees what they prefer – For eg: A Baby boomer might prefer a physical certificate to be displayed at their desk while a Gen Z would prefer a e-certificate to publish on their social accounts.

Keep the process fair and transparent!

Have a diverse panel from different departments on a rotational basis to review the nominations that come in for your recurring rewards program. Communicate to employees “why” a particular person has won to promote transparency and act as drivers for motivation.

Follow the PST rule

Personalized– Handwritten notes by a peer or manager might sound primitive but it creates a stronger impact and is an instant morale booster. A CEO’s letter to the families of employees on their promotion is going that step further to be make an important event in the employee lifecycle even more special.

Specific- Don’t just say thank you!  Specify how the person’s action has helped the team, project or you. For eg: Rather than just saying thank you to a team member who stepped up in your absence, say, “Thank you for going that extra mile by handling the team in my absence. You’ve displayed exceptional leadership and decision-making skills to ensure everything went like clockwork. I feel proud to have you in my team.”

Timely – If a team member has done good work, don’t wait for a formal program to thank and         appreciate them. Acknowledge their efforts instantly by validating positive behaviors and let relevant stakeholders now about their efforts. Remember, what gets appreciated, gets repeated.

Be creative – think beyond monetary rewards.

Introduce a “Peer-to Peer recognition program where the appreciations are displayed publically for all to read. Introduce “thank you” cards for spot recognition.

If you don’t have a budget to recognize your long term employees, give them a special badge or lanyard so that they stand out from the rest. Include them to speak at your Induction, display their bios on the Careers page, involve them in the hiring process. Making a person feel that they are important doesn’t require you to always splurge.

Give your top performers opportunities and exposure to build their skills and confidence. Let them mentor others, make them represent the company at internal/ external platforms, publish their stories in your newsletter/intranet, involve them in special projects, give them a seat at a Leadership meeting to voice their ideas or a lunch with the CEO.

Who doesn’t love social/public recognition? Proactively write a LinkedIn recommendation to your best performing team member. Place a gong on the floor, and whenever a team member achieves something exceptional or receives a client appreciation, the gong is rung with a quick announcement.

Reward them with things/experiences that help them balance their personal lives. Flexible work hours, giving them time-off for an hour on a working day to pursue their hobby, special day offs, or experiential rewards based on their interests.

Attention to detail – Don’t ignore the little things.

1. Have a clear pre and post communication plan for your rewards program for both visibility and external branding.
2. Plan your reward ceremony – be it physical or virtual with utmost details. Structured event flow, who will present the awards, design of the certificates/trophies, pictures of winners etc
3. Publish the names and pictures of winners on your notice boards/social handles.

Recognizing and appreciating employees is all about creating those little “Moments of Magic”. Understanding what it takes to make employees feel special and important, is a first step towards creating a successful R&R strategy.