The six steps to implement an effective non-monetary employee rewards and recognition program

• Create an employee focus groups by putting managers, supervisors, executives together to talk about what are the types of employee rewards for tangible and intangible performance
• Make sure that the employee rewards that you put in place match the kind of recognition and the kind of result the people have achieved.

This is probably one of the most important pieces, you’ve got to train all your managers and supervisors over and over again in how to give employee rewards and recognition, how to praise, how to support their team with non-monetary employee rewards and recognition.It should be at all different levels. A supervisor to employee, the department level staff, groups and teams and then company-wide.

• Link your rewards and recognition program to your other people systems.

Meaning how does this link up with our cash compensation system? How does it tie in with our performance management? Our monthly coaching, the appraisal system, learning and development, personal development, succession planning, again, these systems don’t stand in isolation. We want to put them all together.

• Establish outcomes that you desire from your employee rewards and recognition program.

In other words, are you looking for people to gain more learning? Are you looking to lower your turnover? Are you looking to be able to recruit higher performers? Are you measuring the success of these programs based on higher levels of productivity?

• Identify what are the metrics that tell you these programs you’re putting in place are having the desired effect.
• Make non-monetary employee rewards and recognition a system, a process.

When people are enjoying their work, they’re passionate about being there, they feel like they’re supported, they’re being recognized, they’re being rewarded for what they do, they’re delivering the performance that’s required of them and you’re recognizing it and patting them on the back, giving them those standing ovations, there isn’t any amount of money, concept, ideas, closer commutes, better working conditions that’s going to pull them out of there.

One other piece I’d like to add is, do you find ways to recognize and reward people outside of your company. If someone did something great that month, do you send a little press clipping or an article over to your local business journal?

If someone did something in the community then they’re one of your employees, maybe they’re on the board of education, maybe they’re a PTA president, maybe they do something with the little league, do you trumpet that? Do you — are you proud of it? Do you send these articles, these little vignettes, these stories out, where now, they’re giving the recognition and rewards and support, not only within your own company, but you’re sharing it with your community at large.