Rewarding And Recognizing Employees (NAPSA)—If you want your customers to receive excellent service, you first need to make sure your employees are happy and motivated. That’s easy to say, but much harder to Understanding, Belief, Action Paradigm Understanding Initial communications create accomplish. understanding about the need to change, what's changing and What’s a manager to do when traditional incentive pay pro- why the changeis important. grams aren’t enough to keep employees motivated? The follow- Belief ing guidelines come from Shirley Dreifus, chief executive at New York City-based Strategic Communications Group (SCG). SCG helps Fortune 500 companies develop and implement compre- hensive rewards and recognition programs. 1. Inspire employees to action. To change behaviors, communicate your expectations clearly, creatively and concisely. According to Dreifus’ Understanding, Belief, Action Paradigm (shownin chart), employees first need to understand what you want them to do and why. Next, you need them to believe that the company can deliver. Then they will take action by delivering excellent products or customerservice. 2. Give them the trophy, not just the cash. While incentive pay is an important piece of the compensation pie, rewards and recognition play a critical role in rein- forcing the desired behavior. Rewards such as merchandise, have incredible “trophy value.” They often go a lot further than cash does in driving results. Cash rewards often are quickly forgot- ten in the compensation mix, and most employees are hesitant to boast about dollars. 3. One size does notfit all. Be sure to stack a mix of rewards and recognition strategies against the desired results. Reward strategies for top performers may be completely different from those designed to drive team performance. 4. Recognition is often more Successful communications convince the audience of your commitment, as well s as the value of change. Action When your audience believes in the change and understands whatis expected of them,they will take action. @ valuable than the reward. Be sure to highlight the achievements of top performers in a creative way. A sales rep at one company won a 52” television for her outstanding efforts. Her only comment: “No one saw me receive the television.” She would have been much happier with a 25” television and a huge award ceremony. 5. Align managementpractices with your end goal. Base compensation, incentive pay, training, performance, management and career advancement opportunities should all reinforce the business goals as well as the desired behav- iors to drive results. Any time you have mixed messages, it’s hard to get employees motivated and believing in the business. 6. Walk the talk. Having seniors model the desired behaviors is the most important aspect of motivating employees. No amount of money or merchandise can replace the value of practicing what you preach. For more information, Shirley Dreifus can be reached by e-mail at sdreifus@scgnyc.com.
