Promote the Employee Award and Recognition Program
The manufacturers or distributors you select for your service awards can usually
provide catalog sheets of the merchandise you select at a nominal cost. Or they
can supply the artwork for your own communications materials. Whether you choose
to use a variety of catalog sheets or other collateral for your own service
award booklet, each employee should have a copy.
Consider placing award
catalogs in break rooms and other areas where employees congregate. A food
manufacturer had little to no budget for promotion so it tried this approach to
get people's attention. Sure enough, employees would leaf through the catalog
and set their sights on certain merchandise awards. Also consider creating your
own in-house communications strategy. At the very least, this packet should
include these basic components:
An announcement piece that clearly
explains management's philosophy regarding employee recognition incentive
programs and service awards. It should also include the program's objectives,
length, measurement system and the merchandise awards.
Distribute
information via email or in-house mail updating participants' progress,
particularly if you're using an attendance program or an incentive with a group
of nominees.
At the end of the program, send a congratulatory mailer
celebrating the milestone. This should be an impressive notice that can be kept
as a memento. Follow up the official notification with an email containing
specifics regarding the ceremony and award.
Presentation Is
Everything
Service award winners deserve their moment in the
spotlight. Show them immediately and in style that the company appreciates their
hard work and dedication. Here are some ideas:
Create excitement in the
office with an announcement as soon as the award recipients have been
determined. If possible, send out a companywide email, including all satellite
offices and subsidiaries. Write a short article on each winner and what he or
she did to earn the award. Include it in the organization's newsletter and web
site.
Clarify exactly what the recipient did to earn the award.
Furthermore, during the ceremony explain the importance of the recognition award
in terms of its value to the company. Include information on how the winner's
behavior supports the program's objectives as well as the well-being of the
company overall.
Notify industry publications. For instance, if the
award is an annual honor given to an employee who exemplifies behavior important
to the company's image, such as excellent customer service, distributing this
information helps the entire organization.