Learn how to design and implement effective reward and recognition programs that motivate, engage, and retain your employees.

Implement regular engagement surveys that ask for insights and ideas, and then follow up and follow through! Employees have great ideas! Allow them to actually engage and contribute, your workplace culture, engagement and morale will all go up!

How do you avoid common pitfalls and biases in employee reward and recognition programs?

Employee reward and recognition programs are designed to motivate, engage, and retain your staff by showing them appreciation and respect. However, if you implement them poorly, you may end up doing more harm than good. You may create resentment, unfairness, or confusion among your employees, or even undermine your organizational goals and values. How do you avoid these common pitfalls and biases in your reward and recognition programs? Here are some tips to help you.

1 Align with your strategy and culture

Your reward and recognition programs should reflect and reinforce your organizational strategy and culture. They should align with your vision, mission, values, and objectives, and support the behaviors and outcomes you want to encourage. For example, if you value teamwork and collaboration, you should reward and recognize not only individual achievements, but also team efforts and contributions. If you value innovation and creativity, you should reward and recognize not only results, but also ideas and initiatives.

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2 Be clear and consistent

Your reward and recognition programs should have clear and consistent criteria, processes, and communication. Your employees should know what they are expected to do, how they will be evaluated, and what they will receive in return. Communicate the purpose and benefits of your programs, and how they fit into your overall performance management system. Avoid changing the rules or the rewards without a valid reason, and explain any changes to your employees in advance.

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Yvonne Martin, CHRP

Human Resources Manager @ Colt Canada | Certified Human Resources Professional
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Implement regular engagement surveys that ask for insights and ideas, and then follow up and follow through! Employees have great ideas! Allow them to actually engage and contribute, your workplace culture, engagement and morale will all go up!

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Shilpi Singhal

Global Human Resources Leader | Business Partnering and Change Management | Talent Management | CoE Leadership
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Constant change in criteria for how employee are rewarded brings distrust in the program, create a forum to define what, when and how for the rewards. What matters to people, and when it's meaningful to them to get an award, and how the reward should be communicated to them, to make reinforce the behaviors and create transparency in outcomes for achievement of awards.

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3 Be fair and transparent

Avoid favoritism, discrimination, or bias based on factors such as gender, race, age, or personality. Also avoid rewarding or recognizing only a few employees, or the same employees repeatedly, while ignoring or overlooking others. Use objective and measurable indicators of performance and involve multiple sources of feedback, such as peers, customers, or supervisors. Also share the results and the rationale of your programs, and allow your employees to appeal or challenge them if they disagree.

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Shilpi Singhal

Global Human Resources Leader | Business Partnering and Change Management | Talent Management | CoE Leadership
Report contribution
Changes in criteria for how employee are rewarded brings distrust in the program, create a forum to define what, when and how for the rewards. What matters to people, and when it's meaningful to them to get an award, and how the reward should be communicated to them, to make reinforce the behaviors and create transparency in outcomes for achievement of awards.

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4 Be timely and specific

Reward and recognize your employees as soon as possible after they demonstrate the desired behaviors or outcomes, rather than waiting for formal occasions or annual reviews. Tailor your rewards and recognition to the preferences and needs of your employees. Also give specific and constructive feedback to your employees, not just generic praise or criticism.

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Sanket Jayade,MBA,PMPÂ®,CSM,CSPO

Information Technology Manager at Pella Corporation
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Timely recognition and understanding how people want to be recognized makes the recognition meaningful. The rewards program should be flexible since there isn't a one size fits all solution.

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5 Be flexible and creative

Your reward and recognition programs should be flexible and creative to suit your changing circumstances and challenges. Review and update your programs regularly, and seek feedback from your employees on how to improve them. Also experiment with different types of rewards and recognition. Encourage your employees to reward and recognize each other, and create a culture of appreciation and gratitude.

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6 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that donâ€™t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Directory

How do you avoid common pitfalls and biases in employee reward and recognition programs?

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1 Align with your strategy and culture

2 Be clear and consistent

3 Be fair and transparent

4 Be timely and specific

5 Be flexible and creative

6 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

Personnel Management

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