Trends to Follow for Engagement, Incentives and Recognition
In this post we wanted to focus on one of our most valuable assets, our employees, and how important they are for maintaining our reputation, brand image and overall presence in the marketplace.
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There are many ways that we can recognize them and their value from the emotional and intellectual connections we have made that can translate into more tangible outcomes. Some are calling it a “culture of appreciation”, looking at how our employee engagement can manifest itself into more revenue related results. Let’s look at some ways that our employed brand ambassadors can be more engaged, offering them better incentives and more recognition:
The Digital Revolution on Social Media
Once frowned upon in the workplace, connecting with social media has reached many new, exciting, potential rewards for businesses, employees and consumers alike, inviting them to engage with more personalized experiences. While social engagement is now more encouraged in the workplace, it’s still crucial for employers to establish rules regarding the use of these social networks. Of the many reasons an employee can get fired, violating social media policies can definitely be one of them.
These social networking arenas can be effectively utilized for incentive programs that can:
- Track previous awards
- Suggest alternative awards based on personal preferences
- Incorporate digital analytics to improve the award recipient’s experience
- Connect to the earner’s social network
- Provide 24/7 accessibility on multiple mobile platforms.
Especially for those of us on a tight budget, it is easy to see how we can harness the power of social media not only to aid with the recognition and engagement of our employees and consumers, but we can also use these popular platforms for more than just posting information about a product or service.
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Travel and Culinary Incentives are Top Trends
With boundless opportunities for authentic cultural experiences, travel incentives are still topping the charts for some of the more favored rewards. Even in a failing economy, tourism is still thriving and is shown to also increase wellness and play an important role in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) geared towards overall employee satisfaction.
CSR is driven towards incentives that show an increasing consumer interest in both wellness and health. Another rising trend has participants engaging in unique culinary experiences dedicated to helping individuals explore various food origins and connect more deeply to cultures through these experiences. This connectivity has employees enjoying a healthier lifestyle through better eating habits as well as enjoying the cultural differences that are available through diverse dining.
Benefit Merchandise and Gift Card Programs
With the growing popularity of Ecommerce, gift card programs are a hot benefit since it allows the recipient the choice of their reward.
When the employer makes the purchasing decision, luxury goods are back in vogue and can be considered once again as core elements of merchandise reward and recognition programs. Electronics are still topping the charts along with jewelry, watches and luggage which are also very popular.
What other trends are we seeing with our younger population which is often driven by the older generation? Health-conscious younger employees are reflecting their desires for a healthier body in many aspects of their purchases. Whether those choices are fitness apps, apparel that doubles as work out gear, healthy cooking tools, or even wearable devices that sense and monitor one’s overall fitness in real time, these options are all popular with young and old alike.
Keeping our employees happy and healthy is a great way to ring in the new year.
