Designing and Implementing Recognition Programs that Work

It is difficult to maintain morale during an economic downturn, but not impossible.

There is a proven formula for maintaining morale using employee recognition. If employees feel valued your organization can not only survive, but often thrive during a downturn.

The next series runs January 6 to February 10, 2009, 10:00-11:00 PST/1:00-2:00 EST. Sign up now!

If you have read Make Their Day you might remember the story of Remedy, the company that coped with economic hardship and parent company scandals, and managed to come through it with improved customer service, increased revenue, and steady employee morale.

You can create a positive recognition culture!

You can't achieve the level of engagement that produces exceptional results with gift cards or an employee of the month award. Program development must be built on a rock solid foundation and adhere to the principles of meaningful recognition.

Private consulting on making effective culture change can be costly. Chances are good that you don't have the budget right now to bring an expert in to oversee a full-scale culture change. I know for many of my readers working for small businesses and nonprofits this was never an option.

A Cost-Effective Solution There is an alternative that your organization can afford. For your $299* investment, you and your colleagues can attend a weekly webinar series, six sessions in all, where you will learn the basics of designing and implementing a recognition initiative.

This is a popular program and because I only run it once per year, you will want to register soon.

Tools, guides, and assessments. The webinar series includes lots of materials that will help you with your program.

Private consultation included: In addition to the six-hour course you will receive five assignments that will help you prepare your initiative. When you turn in the assessments and planning documents (one set per organization) I will review them and provide you with my analysis, in essence a private consultation on each of five topics.

When you complete the course your organization will also receive a half-hour private phone consultation that you can use anytime within the following six months. To get this level of attention for your organization alone, you would have to invest at least $4000.

Session 1 - January 6, 2009
Getting Commitment from the Leadership of Your Organization
     1)      Why recognition matters
    2)      Tips for getting that critical executive leadership
    3)      What to do to create a congruent message and develop inherent recognition
    4)   Assignment – assess purpose and executive commitment

Session 2 - January 13, 2009
Getting Manager Buy In
   1)      What’s in it for the manager?
    2)      How selling managers and supervisors differs from selling management.
    3)      Five techniques for building further commitment
    4)      Using metrics and accountability to build involvement
    5)      Assignment – assess current buy in and driving factors

Session 3 - January 20, 2009
The Manager’s Role in Effective Recognition
    1)      50/30/20 Rule of Employee Satisfaction
    2)      Why a manager can make or break your program
    3)      What every manager needs to know
    4)      Assignment – assess manager understanding of recognition principles

Session 4 - January 27, 2009
Assessment in Recognition
    1)      Purpose of assessment
    2)      Identifying when recognition is the wrong solution
    3)      Assessing employee satisfaction with existing recognition
    4)      Addressing business initiatives with recognition programs
    5)      Assignment –assessment of employee satisfaction

Session 5 - February 3, 2009
Design Research & Considerations
   1)      Examples of forms recognition programs can take
    2)      Reinforcing organizational values and culture with organizational programs
    3)      Making the program fair
    4)      Tips for dealing with a cynical workforce
    5)      Dealing with the nonexistent budget
    6)      Assignment – complete design questionnaire

Session 6 - February 10, 2009
Program Rollout – Managing the Project
   1)      Bottom-line – focus on the why
    2)      Outline – clarify what, who, and how
    3)      Timeline - scheduling roles and responsibilities
    4)      Achieving Momentum
    5)      Demonstrating your Return on Investment
    6)      Assignment - Create your preliminary implementation plan

You can achieve an energized work environment without investing a lot of money. The key is getting real buy in for your recognition initiative, building skills, developing a solid plan, and creating a memorable communication campaign.

Your Investment in Improved Morale - $299 (*plus toll charges) for the full series. Includes materials, ½ hour individual consulting call, and optional assignments that can be submitted for evaluation at any point during the series. These assignments give you the opportunity to apply the course content to your program's development. You will be able to submit your analysis of your organization's current recognition climate, your assessment of available resources and manager readiness for feedback. Your work on an implementation plan will help you prepare your program for rollout.

Group size is restricted to allow for plenty of interaction during the sessions. You will be able to ask questions of me and I will ask questions of you so that we can address the unique needs of your organization. To be able to offer this level of personal assistance I need to limit participation to 25 organizations (through conference room access you can have as many people within your organization participate in the webinars as you like).

Not ready to sign up yet, but want to receive a weekly recognition tip? click here