Successful Recognition Award Programs

With multiple material substrates and a universe of styling options, McGRAPHIX simplifies the award purchasing process by partnering with the some of the best award manufactures in the industry.  The result is almost 2,500 award product options and a performance based supply chain.

Top 10 Steps To A Successful Recognition Program

Typical recognition programs include the following elements. We’ve added some things for companies to keep in mind when developing each phase of  the program.

1. Program Objective: It should be consistent with the company’s values, principles and objectives for improving productivity and performance

2. Program Theme:  Recognition is fun. Theme ideas are endless!

3. Award Period:  Whatever your time period, keep the program visible with regular updates and benchmarks—even mid-period awards

4. Recognition Categories:  Clear and definitive boundaries must be set — with criteria above and beyond what is normally expected from employees

5. Eligible Participants:  All employees related to that department, goal, etc., must be eligible

6. Program Qualifications:  A recognition program must provide equal treatment for equal accomplishments

7. Presentation:  Recognition and rewards must be timely to the achievement.  Acknowledge actions as soon as possible.  Generally, public commendation is better than private

8. Budget:  When performance goals are met, the increased sales, profit or cost savings to the company will far exceed the cost of a recognition program

9. Awards:  Recognition is not compensation! Studies repeatedly show that employees rank recognition for accomplishments higher than money

10. Cost Analysis:  A well-structured recognition program virtually pays for itself due to increased profits, cost savings and employee morale that result from meeting program goals

* Excerpts from Visions - Awardcraft 2009 article Selling Recognition Programs & Awards | Sales Ideas and Program Tips for Today’s Marketplace.  For the complete article, see the Visions - Awardcraft website link under the RECOGNITION AWARDS section.

Award Programs

Studies Show People Want and Need Recognition and Appreciation*

• Recognition boosts people’s esteem and performance

• Recognition signifies that someone notices and someone cares

• Recognition is increasingly important in today’s business environment

• Recognition isn’t just for the person who performed well. It’s also a message to other employees about the type of performance that gets noticed in an organization

Bottom line, an organization that wants to be competitive needs to make employees feel valued.  A national survey by Robert Half International found that “limited praise and recognition” was ranked as the primary reason why employees leave their jobs today ahead of compensation issues.

Applications

A recognition program of any kind and purpose can be created.  The following are the primary types that apply to the corporate environment:

• Sales Incentives:  This is the number one application for award programs

• Recognition here focuses on improving performance and self esteem

• Service Award Programs:  These are designed to positively reinforce actions that increase quality and productivity, and / or meet other corporate goals

• Safety Programs:  Here the emphasis is on reducing accidents and injury costs

• Additional Applications:  The reasons to recognize are endless

Buyers

With so many possible applications, many departments within a corporation have viable recognition product needs:

• Corporate Communications for anniversaries, new buildings, mission statements, special milestones, corporate sponsored events, etc...

• Human Resources & Training for years of service, employee of the month, perfect attendance, retirement, course completion, etc...

• Business Operations for safety, productivity, quality, supplier recognition, etc...

• Sales / Marketing for sales club, annual quota, distributor contests, etc...

• Finance for budget performance, collection performance, etc...

Benefits

Non-Monetary Awards are seen by supervisors, peers, spouses, relatives and friends.  They are everlasting symbols of success; they are not spent and forgotten.  Awards reflect the image of an organization in ways that retail merchandise cannot.

• Display meaningful and inspirational symbols to the people involved in a particular program

• Immediately identifiable by peers, thus reinforcing their value as builders of self-esteem and motivation

• Cannot be purchased outside the organization, therefore, they must be earned

• Designed to be highly personalized; not only with the recipient’s name, but the name of the program and details of the accomplishment