Happy Employees = Happy Profits

April 21, 2013

Everyone enjoys working with happy, upbeat co-workers. You look forward to coming to work in the morning and leave more often with a smile on your face.   Did you know that happy employees do more for an organization than just provide good morale and a fun environment? Simply put, people perform better when they are happier and that adds to your bottom line.

According to recent research by Harvard School of Business research staff , the findings were true across different sizes and types of businesses: People are more productive and creative when they have more positive, happy emotions.  The research includes data from the past decade focusing on creativity, productivity, and the psychology of everyday work life.

But the good news doesn’t stop there – if employees are happy on a given day, they are more likely to come up with a new idea or solve a problem, but also return to work with the same likelihood.   So what can you do to bring your employees to this level of bliss?

Before you can seek to improve happiness, first you must have a clear understanding of the current state of employee satisfaction; what employees like and dislike about the company. There are several things a company can do to increase the happiness and morale – study after study has provided loads of data that a culture of recognition can do just that.

Gone are the days where recognition occurred as a once a year event.  Employees need to know you care about them more on a year round basis – even more prevalent in the X and Y Generations. Recognition that is timely, reinforces corporate values, and available to all employees builds a more connected and a fully engaged workforce – and in turn in can boost your morale and spread good cheer throughout your organization.

How better to encourage everyone and produce a happy work environment than saying thank you? It is clear and proven that happiness boosts performance.  What are you doing with in your organization to increase engagement and happiness?


Join me at the World@Work Conference!

April 11, 2013

Join me and other professionals and executives from around the world at the WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia April 29 – May 1.  Increase your knowledge of compensation, benefits, and total rewards. Also gain additional strategic insight and learn best practices from other professionals and industry experts.  Be sure to stop by booth 1005 to meet the Anderson Performance team to review sales incentive case studies and receive a copy of my book “Cream of the Corp”.

Here are a couple reasons why you should attend the conference:

  • Learn from the best – hear Fortune 100 companies, HR experts, and industry leaders in the field discuss how they utilize total rewards solutions to gain competitive advantages.
  • Grow your Network – an excellent opportunity to build relationships with other professionals.
  • Educational Growth – customize your total rewards knowledge by choosing from almost 100 educational sessions.

WorldatWork is a nonprofit association for professionals and organizations focused on compensation, benefits, work-life effectiveness, and total rewards – strategies to attract, motivate, and retain an engaged and productive workforce.

If you are interested in attending the conference visit the WorldatWork website for more information and to register, click http://www.worldatwork.org/waw/philadelphia2013/attendee/index.jsp. We hope to see you there!


Selecting the Right Global Recognition Provider

March 25, 2013

SHRM predicts the globalization of the marketplace will continue to grow, increasing the numbers of multicultural employees and opportunity for global business growth. Because of this global growth, companies will have employees all over the world. Now this can lead to a larger issue – how are you going to keep your multicultural employees engaged?

We are all aware effective recognition can increase employee engagement. And if your company has an existing domestic recognition program, expanding it along with your global growth may require more insight than you think.

You may think it is any easy task – possibly just an extension of your existing program.  But when looking at the big picture, there are many things to be considered.

  1. Cultural Differences – It is quite obvious there are cultural differences between other countries – what might be acceptable in Japan, might not in other countries.  Make sure your awards are culturally appropriate.
  2. Language Barrier – Of course, the recognition program will not be successful without effective communication – delivered to the correct audience, in the correct language. This is true even for a domestic program that has English-as- a-second-language
  3. Taxes, Tariffs, Etc. – It is best to partner with a global recognition partner who has the ability for in-country distribution of awards.  This reduces the tariffs and ensures the award will be culturally appropriate and shipped in the most economical manner.

Now what?  Partner with a performance improvement provider who knows how to design and deliver recognition that motivates people around the world and who are experts at meeting the business needs within each country.  Also, make sure your partner provides in-country distribution and as wells as effective communication strategies.  Our team would be happy to share case studies of successful global recognition programs.

If done correctly, global recognition will not only increase engagement, create a collaborative work environment, and strengthen the mission of the organization, but also deliver the desired strategic and financial results. Take a look at the recent White Paper by the Global Incentive Council.   Is your organization experiencing global growth?  What are your plans for expanding your existing recognition program?


Motivation Masters Award Finalist

January 23, 2013

We are excited to announce our latest honor – Motivation Master Award Finalist!  Along with our client, Assurant, Inc. we have been selected as a Finalist for the 2012 Motivation Masters Award sponsored by Incentive Magazine.

The finalists of Incentive’s fourth annual Motivation Masters Award excelled in creating the best, most effective and creative incentive and engagement programs of the year, showcasing what truly great incentives look like.

Assurant, Inc. is honored for the Assurant Commitment to Excellence (ACE) Recognition Program.  Assurant is a provider of specialty insurance products in the U.S. and internationally.  A company-wide employee engagement survey showed a need for improved recognition and Assurant decided to act. Partnering with Anderson Performance, it launched the Assurant Commitment to Excellence (ACE) Recognition program designed to reinforce a “One Assurant” commitment, boost employee morale, and increase employee engagement, performance, and retention through a flexible, easy-to-use points-based program. The program also includes e-cards for peer recognition, a nomination process, and On-the-Spot cards for managers to award variable points to associates who demonstrate key behaviors.

The Motivation Masters Award honors top sales incentives, dealer channel programs, and non-sales initiatives, as well as employee loyalty, engagement, peer recognition and wellness programs.  The emphasis of the award is on how the program objectives were developed and the results measured. The judges, industry experts, choose finalists after a rigorous review process. The Motivation Masters Award honors the top two programs in several categories.

1. Engagement and Recognition
2. Channel Sales Incentive Programs
3. Sales Incentives

The top finalist will be selected and announced as the Grand Prize Motivation Master of the Year. The January/February issue of Incentive Magazine will honor the deserving company and their rewards and recognition partner.

 


Sales Commission – Good or Bad?

September 12, 2012

Since the history of time, compensation of a sales person included some type of variable pay or commission.  The thought was that the more you sell, the more you get paid.  But is this equation really paying off?  According to Harvard Business Review, many organizations have discovered that sales commissions are not motivating their sales force to work harder and sell more.  In fact, they are causing more harm than good.

You might ask yourself, how could that be possible?  Doesn’t everyone like a little more money? For the past 30 years, a group of social scientists around the world have found a different view on what really motivates today’s sales force.

Before we can answer that question, first we must look at how selling as a whole has changed.  Fifty years ago selling was simple – deliver your canned speech, showcase your samples, and field any predictable questions and objections.  You would repeat this again and again.

Today, selling is a whole new ballgame.  And because our world is overloaded with data and information and prospects having access at any point in time, selling no longer consists of “selling” an item, it is selling insights.

A vice-president of a large tech company whose sales force had a standard compensation plan of 60% base and 40% commission, decided to scrap commission pay all together.  He implemented a completely new compensation structure – salespeople receive 90% of their compensation in a high base salary with the other 10% linked to corporate vs. individual results  to measure growth and profits.

So what is the result?  Not only did sales increase, but the cost of sales stayed the same and retention increased!  This alternate compensation structure is one reason why this company is a top performing organization within their industry. These results are typical with other organizations who have instituted a similar compensation pay structure.

Should all companies ditch the commission idea?  Probably not, but companies need to realize that selling in today’s work force is much more sophisticated and complicated.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this article!


Wellness in the Workplace on the Rise

August 21, 2012

More and more companies are recognizing and rewarding employees for their health and wellness dedication and improvements. Recent research by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that the number of employers offering health and wellness programs has grown from 23 percent (2008) to 35 percent – over 550 human resource individuals participated in this survey. Employers everywhere are seeing the importance, benefit, and cost savings of implementing a health and wellness program.

Organizations are offering all sorts of health-type benefits, from CPR and first aid training to on-site blood pressure machines to full reward programs.  Employees who have the opportunity to participate in health initiatives at work ultimately have increased morale, confidence, and productivity.  Healthy employees are happy employees!  Healthier employees can also help decrease healthcare costs. A few of the top health and wellness initiatives implemented in organizations today are:

  • Flu vaccinations
  • Health and lifestyle coaching
  • Health screening programs
  • Smoking cessation program

Many organizations are also attempting to combat preventable and chronic conditions with a variety of programs and incentives. Healthcare premium discounts are up for grabs for those who are getting annual health assessments, not using tobacco, and participating in wellness and weight loss programs.

We, too, have seen great results from our health and wellness program instituted throughout our company.  In fact, our program “Move it”, was awarded a “Circle of Excellence” award from the Incentive Marketing Association.  With the Move It program, we wanted everyone to focus on healthy behaviors. All facets of a healthy lifestyle were highlighted in this program; healthy food and recipe ideas, exercise, stress reducing information, etc. Our culture was affected in a positive way. We removed soda machines from our work location and offered free filtered water; instead of sitting in the conference room for meetings, we instituted walking meetings. And our typical birthday celebrations changed from cake and ice cream to fruit and yogurt parfaits!

Participants were able to earn award points for meeting program goals. Many participants redeemed theirpoints for home gym equipment; some employees even signed up to be members at local gyms. We made great strides in changing everyday behaviors to healthy behaviors and we had a lot of fun in the process! What is your organization doing to increase the focus on healthy lifestyles?


Employees are Getting Restless

August 3, 2012

As noted in the Wall Street Journal, “employee restlessness is on the rise” – and a recent survey by the Hay Group also reiterates this statement.  They found 38% of employees surveyed in 2011 plan to leave their current employers within the next five years; to keep your top performers on your team, businesses and organizations must evaluate the wants and needs of their employees.

Employees, just like consumers, have needs and wants that can be important personal drivers for their motivation and employment satisfaction, which in turn can affect a company’s bottom line. Are you aware of what your employees want?  If you answer this question with a “no,” you should take the time to find out.  Here are couple simple ways to monitor your employees’ satisfaction and happiness:

  1. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask:  Allow for frequent communication between your employees and management.  Provide options that allow employees to bring issues to the table. In many cases, if you don’t ask, they will not tell. The questions that companies are the most afraid to ask usually give the most valuable information and feedback.
  2. Dig Deep:  When there is an issue that is brought to light, don’t just find a quick fix for the problem, evaluate the underlying causes.  If it affects one employee, more than likely it is an issue for others too.
  3. Communicate:  When you find a problem that is affecting your employees’ satisfaction, communicate the “how and why” you are using to address and tackle the situation to all affected employees.  When people are kept in the loop, they feel more valued and engaged.
  4. Reward and Recognize:  Having an open channel of communication isn’t always easy but is vital to a company’s success. When an employee takes the initiative to discuss their needs and wants with a supervisor or manager, this behavior should be recognized.
  5. Learn from your Competitors:  Take the time to evaluate what is working and what is not working for other organizations.  If there is a company that is excelling in employee retention – find out what they are doing; possibly they have deployed a rewards and recognition program.

Employee satisfaction and retention rates are vital to a company’s success.  Every organization should understand what their employees want and the motivating factors. Do you have a formal approach to finding out what makes your employees happy?  I would love to hear about your initiatives!


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 48 other followers