Using Corporate Awards to Promote Employee Efficiency

Throughout the world you'll find all different types of businesses that specialize in a wide variety of services. That said, all have one very specific goal in mind: to stay profitable by increasing revenues and managing overhead.

The vast majority of industries involve steep competition from like companies that target similar consumers. To stay ahead of the pack, business owners need reliable employees that exceed expectations on a daily basis. Unfortunately, in the real world, many workers have great difficulty meeting these expectations. To create a culture of proficiency, countless business owners utilize corporate awards, which can inspire productivity by offering recognition. To get the most from these powerful motivational tools, however, it's important to understand the best way to implement them in your specific organization.

The Correct Angle: Right Award, Right Recipient, Right Venue

A good salary will encourage employees to work hard; however, pay incentives have their limitations. Generally, workers excel when they have clear opportunities to secure recognition for both their work ethics and professional abilities. Corporate awards give employers a way to spotlight outstanding efforts. Implemented correctly, they also encourage a fun sense of collegial competition among employees, which ultimately raises overall productivity.

Corporate awards can be used for a variety of purposes – some serious, and some more lighthearted and fun. When implementing a recognition program for the purpose of raising employee productivity, employers should make sure the criteria for achieving the corporate awards is set high enough to make fulfillment of this criteria a challenge. Not only does this help incent employees to do their best, it also enhances the value of these accolades in the eyes of other employees. Put simply: the more difficult it is to earn an award, the more valuable it will appear to those who compete for the right to hold it.

The Wrong Angles

While incredibly valuable to business owners who run companies that depend on high-performing employees; corporate awards can cause problems when they are improperly used. To prevent unexpected issues, there are a variety of pitfalls companies should avoid, and we have outlined a few of these below:

Mismatch Between Award Type and Criteria

As noted above, different achievement awards serve different purposes. Sometimes fun, unique awards fit with the purpose of a company recognition program. These awards are often presented to many different recipients, and have more lighthearted criteria associated with them. These types of awards can go a long way to raising the levity and “fun factor” of a company’s work environment. At other times, company awards are used to recognize more serious, impactful contributions. These awards are useful in motivating employees to hit specific business objectives. It is important that organizations match they type of award they are presenting with the specific objectives of their recognition program. A humorous award given for a serious purpose, for example, might have the opposite effect than was originally intended, and the inverse also holds true.

Alienation by Recognizing Undeserving Recipients

Employers should also use great care when presenting recognition awards. While compensation is (usually) a private matter between employee and employer, recognition awards represent a very visible statement. Thus, if you misadvertantly award an undeserving employee, animosity and resentment can quickly take root within your organization. To effectively utilize achievement rewards, you have to be certain about who is doing the bare minimum, and who is making a maximum effort.

Poorly Planned Delivery

When used appropriately, recognition awards can help take businesses to the next level by inspiring workers to reach their full potential. That said, poor implementation of the awards presentation can cause all sorts of unforeseen problems. Be sure to use special care when planning the ceremony or venue for presenting awards to your employees. As with they award type mismatch discussed above, a venue or presentation event that is not properly aligned with the recognition objectives can also devalue the impact of the award.