I recently watched a live show about wolves. The trainers had these glorious wild animals jumping through hoops and enjoying the applause. The trainers stressed that they could only use "positive" reinforcement with the wolves. If they tried discipline, the wolves simply fought back.
How often does that also happen with people? Have you been frustrated because you could not motivate your employees to meet their sales goals or because the production team hit one of those "bumps"? Most companies experience these challenges, as well as difficulties with employee retention, safety, and recruitment.
Increasingly, Fortune 100 companies and others that top the charts have made a commitment to employee recognition. In other words, they are using "positive" reinforcement to meet company goals. These companies are applauding their employees! If employees aren't working with you, they may be working against you in subtle ways. Gallup International recently reported that businesses ranked in the top 24% based on employee loyalty had less turnover, higher percentages of customer loyalty, higher profitability, and higher revenue figures. By creating a positive work environment, you can make and save money with your employees.
Employee recognition, incentive programs, competition between teams, and team building are all extremely useful tools for an employer. A " 2005 Incentive Federation Survey of Motivation and Incentive Applications" found that 72% of the respondents used incentive and recognition programs to motivate non-sales employees.*
Incentive programs have been used very successfully with sales teams, but often there is a disconnect between the sales force and the manufacturing force. The internal communication to the non-sales force lacks the branding that identifies the company's product and mission. Using incentives, as part of an integrated internal communications and branding program, creates a team spirit within all levels of your workforce so they can gain a better understanding of how they fit and how critical their part is. A great example is that of a large printing company which committed to reducing on-the-job accidents. These accidents were driving up insurance costs. The company began a plan to reduce on-the-job accidents. Their goal was to go three months with out an accident. The company began with posters displaying what the goal was. They also inserted cards with safety reminders that included "candy" reinforcements. The goal was met by the fourth month of the program and has continued to keep this year's accident rates below previous years.
Choosing the right motivational or incentive plan needs to be done very carefully and with a clear understanding of three points.**
Understand the purpose of your incentive program. Set specific and quantifiable goals. Are you trying to shorten response time in a call center, increase number of calls handled, or drill more widgets per hour? Knowing what you need to improve will help define the best motivational tool.
Understand the recipients of your program. How do they want to be recognized and what works for your corporate culture? Interestingly, the best motivators tend to be fairly universal. They are lifestyle rewards, items that the recipient may not purchase on their own but would enjoy. High-end electronics and gift cards top this list. Also, by understanding your recipients you can create success stories that stay alive. Instead of your workforce buzzing about the latest dismissal, have them buzzing about the latest incentive. What will they receive for coming out ahead—now?
Understand how your program will be implemented. How will your organization communicate this to its employees? Are your employees on computers? Perhaps an online program? Will they need catalogs to review? A coordinated and efficient delivery of the program will go a long way toward ensuring its success. How will you deliver incentives? To an employee at work, to their home, in a meeting? How will you share the news? The incentives need to be delivered quickly enough that the behavior is reinforced.
With a firm grasp of this information, you can tailor an incentive program to meet your company's goals. Successful, well-documented programs produce measurable increases in the behavior that they target. Recently, a bank initiated an incentive program designed to increase a specific, quantifiable goal. The program defined the behavior expected, and provided excellent internal communications about the program. The program began with a small promotional item that served as a reminder of the goal. Then, small intermediate promotional items were used to reinforce steps toward the completion of the goal with the largest reward given for meeting or exceeding the targeted goals. The intermediate rewards served to keep employees focused and to remind those employees not succeeding of the potential for reward and to keep trying. The employees involved in the program achieved 122% of goal!
How do you create an incentive program? How do you get started or freshen-up an existing program? It sounds like a lot of effort, right?
Actually, there are many resources that can help you develop, implement and maintain an incentive program. Your promotional products distributor is a great resource. They will work with you to define your goals, and to understand your employees and corporate culture. Then, they can work with you to create a program that works for you.
*Vincent Alonzo, "Not Your Father's Incentive", Advantages, February 2006, pages 63, 109-113.
**Cynthia T. Graham, "Motivate Employees to Get the Job Done", Promotional Marketing, July 2005, page 56.
Glen Holbert, "Promoting Motivation", Counselor, July 2006, pages 66-68.
Norm Brodsky, "Street Smarts: The Tournament", Inc., January 2002.
Bob Nelson, "Low-Cost Ways to Build Employee Commitment", Inc., December 1999.
Chrisopher Caggiano, "Perks You Can Afford", Inc., January 2003.
Kathy Huston, "Get Those Employee Loyalty Programs Going", Advantages, December 2005, page 38.
JoAnna Brandi, "9 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged", Entrepreneur, April 2005.