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Recognition & Rewards

Giving gift cards as a benefit: 9 key do’s and don’ts

05/03/2012
Prepaid gift cards are an increasingly popular tool to motivate and reward employees. However, employers often weaken the impact by simply handing them out without a strategy. Get the most out of prepaid cards with these tips:

Recognize the power of public ‘kudos’

04/03/2012
The nonprofit group Food & Friends has a low turnover rate—more than 70% of employees having been with the organization for at least five years. One key retention strategy: “Kudos” are read at weekly staff meetings.

Creative perks from this year’s ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ list

03/29/2012
Rather than reinvent the wheel, “borrow” some of these unique, low-cost benefits from employers on Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list, which includes several small and midsize businesses.

PwC enhances effort to hang on to top staff

02/24/2012
To enhance its approach to compensation and development, PwC has added several programs to demonstrate the long-term value of building a career at the professional services firm formerly known as PricewaterhouseCoopers.

12 compensation trends to watch in 2012

01/10/2012
The average pay raise will be modest this year—around 3%—compared to about 4% from 2005 to 2008, just before the economy tanked. Here are a dozen pay trends to consider as your organization weighs how to structure compensation in an age of diminished expectations.

Better performance through recognition: 8 steps

01/09/2012
Slower economies tend to reduce employers’ incentives to say “thank you,” either with pay, perks or actions. Still, a 3% dip in the percentage of companies using recognition programs since 2008 doesn’t suggest a permanent decline, according to a survey by WorldatWork. Eight tips to create a recognition program that drives performance:

Airline’s ‘Customer Cup’ prompts friendly competition

12/22/2011

American Airlines recognizes em­­ployees at five airports each quarter to promote friendly competition for better customer service. “Customer Cup” awards are categorized by market size, from largest to smallest stations according to flight activity.

Motivate high performance by promising rewards

12/13/2011
Employee recognition programs aren’t quite as popular as they once were, but the 86% of businesses that use them find that rewards and in­­centives can still spur sales, improve retention and employee loyalty, and raise productivity during an era of slim pay raises and uncertain bonuses.

Sales stars get action figures–of themselves

12/01/2011

The action figures adorning the desks of employees at Arlington, Va.-based Decision Lens aren’t of ordinary superheroes. They’re of the employees themselves. That’s one of the rewards the employees can earn for their hard work.

How will your organization celebrate the holidays this year?

11/29/2011
Maybe the economy is rebounding! Seventy percent say they’ll have catered holiday parties in 2011!