Employee Recognition Program Design

Getting the right balance in your employee recognition program

Your wallet is empty? And you still need to boost your team's performance?

Building employee morale is difficult in these tough economic times. Kevin Aguanno helps you solve your morale problem with ideas for non-monetary rewards that won't break the bank.

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HR Web Review is your one-stop shop for reviews of articles, web sites, and books on human resources issues. The current issue is full of rewards and recognition reviews.

Employee recognition program design requires a balance between financial and non-financial rewards to provide incentives to all employees, regardless of their priorities. In addition, you need to consider the differences between team rewards and individual rewards. Some rewards encourage teaming, while others encourage people to look out for their own personal interests. Each type of reward has its place in a balanced programme design.

Finally, whether you choose monetary or non-monetary rewards, you need to make sure you deliver the rewards in a way that they will be valued by the recipients and that the recipients will know which specific behavior a reward is meant to encourage. You should also look at the impact on others around the recipient who see the reward and who may change their behaviors to mimic the recipient's successful behavior.

This site is devoted to providing you with links to articles and other resources on the topic of employee recognition programme design. Many of the articles have been reviewed by our editors and assigned a 1 to 5-star rating along with a brief sentence describing the focus of the article or other resource.

If you would like to contribute additional articles to this employee recognition program article directory, then please fill out our Article Submission form.

In addition to this directory page, you can also read our reviews of articles and books on non-financial rewards and team rewards.

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Employee Recognition Program Design Articles

(ranked in no particular order)

1.	(Good)	Benefits of Using Non-Monetary Rewards - This article discusses the following benefits of non-monetary rewards: memory value, trophy value, flexibility, and cash awards cost more.
2.	(Weak)	The Power of Positive Feedback - Summary notes from a speech given by Bob Nelson.
3.	(Very Good)	Rewards and Recognition - Well-researched article on how non-monetary rewards fit into an overall strategy to improve employee performance and retention.
4.	(Recommended)	Reward Systems - Notes from a course in Human Resources Management at Brunel University in the U.K.
5.	(Good)	Rules of Thumb for Nonmonetary Rewards - Extracted from course notes in Human Resources Management at Brunel University in the U.K.
6.	(Very Good)	Strategic Rewards Survey - Summary of a study that shows that high performers are motivated more by advancement opportunities, flexible schedules, and the opportunity to learn new skills than by financial incentives. Interesting statistics.
7.	(Good)	Recognition and Rewards: Ask the HR Guy - Brief discussion that warns of the dangers of inappropriate use of non-monetary rewards. "Used incorrectly [they] can depress, not lift, employee morale. If an employee feels that he or she has done a lot of work on a project and deserves monetary compensation, a token gift or verbal recognition may appear to be a slap in the face. Moreover, too informal of a reward structure makes it difficult for employees to guage their own performance and reduces the incentive for them to excel at their work."
8.	(Good)	They'll Feed Your Cat - Quirky non-monetary rewards offered to busy employees in some companies.
9.	(Good)	Winning Perks in Silicon Alley - More interesting rewards from IT firms in New York,
10.	(Good)	Cheap Perks that Work - Ideas for low-cost incentives that improve employee retention.
11.	(Good)	Is a Flexible Work Schedule Going to Work? - Discusses the challenge of implementing a flexible work schedule in the face of government employment standards legislation.
12.	(Good)	You Want Flexible Hours? Great Idea! - Discusses how flex hours programs can reduce employee turnover and are inexpensive (or free) to implement.
13.	(Very Good)	Fighting Flu Season with a Flexible Leave Policy - A low-cost way to improve employee job satisfaction, reduce the spread of illness and widespread flu-related absenteeism.
14.	(Very Good)	Beyond Compensation - Discusses the strategic use of rewards to continue to motivate your already high performers.

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