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By John Schaefer, April 16, 2013 4:20 pm

Many managers are hesitant to use incentives in the workplace because of a fear of what it may lead to in the way of increased expectations on the part of employees. The logic goes: “If I give them something extra for doing what I expect them to do, I will have to keep giving them more and more in the future to simply maintain what they are doing now.” Such managers are afraid that the use of incentives in general–money or otherwise–is basically a slippery slope that once begun can never be contained.

This line of reasoning is unfortunate in that such managers are abandoning one of the most powerful forms of human motivation that is known to mankind. They will never experience the benefits that result in increased morale and productivity and return to the bottom line from a well-run incentive program. It is similar to a person who refuses to drive a car because the brakes might fail or because they read that a significant number of people are killed each year while driving their vehicles.

The fact of the matter is, with certain cautions, it can be relatively easy to obtain highly desirable results from the use of incentives in the workplace while at the same time minimizing the risks to the organization. Following are a few guidelines I’ve found that can help to keep your use of incentives in check.

At Schaefer Recognition Group we offer tools and training to re-engage employees. The truth is they will stay with your company when you show them you care to have them stay. Is it that simple? Sort of. It takes a true commitment to re-establishing workplace culture and creating an environment where managers are seen as genuine and employees want to be more productive without breaking the corporate bank.

Link incentives to performance. This makes incentives less likely to come across as largesse that is equally distributed to all members of the company whether individuals performed or not and more closely ties incentives to the success of the organization. Recognizing such things as birthdays, anniversaries, attendance, years of service or passing out turkeys to all employees at Christmas are all examples of programs that are rewarding presence rather than performance. Yet these are some of the most common incentive programs that exist in this country. It is much more beneficial to get employees focusing on behavior and results that can make a difference in the competitive advantage of the organization. Doing so will help break down the notion of the organization as a paternal care taker of employees rather than employees being recognized for the contribution they have made–and earned–for the organization.

Use variety in your choice of incentives. Not only will having different incentives keep them fresh, but individual incentives will be less likely to become entitlements. For example, if each quarter the company made its revenue goals the company gave a half-day off to all employees, by the second or third time employees will come to expect this incentive as an ongoing benefit for no other reason than it has been done repeatedly. If, on the other hand, the first quarter you gave all employees a half day off, the second quarter you did nothing and the third quarter you held an ice cream party, the variety not only adds fun to the workplace, it minimizes the expectations that can arise from the repeated use of the same incentive. The same logic holds true for incentive programs. Change them when they start to become stale or lose their effectiveness.

Emphasize non-monetary incentives. Studies have shown that you can obtain a greater increase in productivity through the use of non-monetary recognition items (merchandise, plaques, life style items, etc.) on a dollar-per-dollar basis than by using only cash to increase productivity. Many other studies have shown that employees find the most meaningful incentives to be things that have no cost at all, starting with a personal thanks from one’s manager for doing a good job. Raise the level of awareness and skill on the part of your managers to make a more frequent use of such no-cost, low-cost incentives within their work groups and within individual jobs. Autonomy, flexibility, visibility, involvement in decision making, interesting job assignments and extensive information/ communication can all be used with great success to help obtain extraordinary performance from ordinary people.

—Bob Nelson, Ph.D.

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By John Schaefer, December 26, 2011 2:58 pm

What Great Companies Know About Culture – Deidre H. Campbell – Harvard Business Review.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help your company, visit us at www.SchaeferRecognitionGroup.com.

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By John Schaefer, February 8, 2011 3:54 pm

While I was pushing for the Steelers, what was not too love about Superbowl 45?  Looked like they might just come back and pull it off (like they did against my Arizona Cardinals two years ago!)

At the end of the game when Roger Staubach brought in the Vince Lombardi Trophy, I couldn’t help but notice how all of the Green Bay Packers’ players lined up just to touch the trohy as it went by on the way to the podium.  I thought to myself, “… wonder how many corporate executives watching this picked up on this powerful form of recognition? Unfortunately, not many.  Most will go back to work on Monday and continue to use cash and gift cards to reward their people, then wonder why it’s not working very well.” 

We see it at every Superbowl, World Series and Olympics; the power of trophy-value and how money, while appreciated, can never bring out the extra effort it takes for top athletes to win the biggest events.  We all want and need compensation, but the big plays and gut-level extra effort come from people striving for “The Prize”, not an extra couple of bucks.   We see it over and over, yet don’t often translate it into getting top performance from our employees and managers.

If you’d like to know more about how this can happen at your company, visit me at www.SchaeferRecognitionGroup.com.

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By John Schaefer, January 24, 2011 9:04 am

Bob Dawson of Business Group posed an interesting challenge to organizations regarding their use of incentive programs.  He suggests that it needs to be far more than just a list of prizes to win. 

I tend to see this as a game of perception.  What you see as “winning” and the reason it sends shivers down your spine, Bob, is because deep down (may not even that deep) we all know that the perception of the employee is a quick, poorly thought out Carrot and Stick situation . . . dangle a goodie, then subtly threaten with the stick behind your back.

Todays younger employees see this as nothing more than manipulation and whether they say it or not, rensent it every time.  The results are often just enough to win, or at the very least enough to not look bad to the boss; not the high levels of engagement, creativity and permanent performance improvement hoped for.

Going forward with out multi-generation al work force, Recognition and Incentive programs must be transformed in to comprehensive Communications Strategies with a training-based approach that engages the management team first, so they come across as educated, enthusiastic and genuine to the participants.

Then, tie it in with the company’s goals and objectives, involve all departments in the development, and launch in a way that employees feel like part of an exciting, relevant team, not just a bunch of cogs in a big machine.