As a gift specialist I’m involved with various types of recognition programs and on occasion have been involved in the creation of such programs.
Although Employee Recognition programs on the surface are created to reward competencies and work performance many of them also hope to motivate under performers. Unfortunately this mindset usually never works and can lead to unfriendly competition within the company and shouldn’t be considered when creating or continuing with an Employee Recognition program.
Creating a successful program that both rewards and recognizes performance starts and ends with communication:
Employees need to know what is expected. Define what meeting expectation looks like and what exceeding them looks like and the impact it has on the business. Are you going to reward for meeting, exceeding or both by offering a tiered awarded system.
Is recognition open to all employees? Recognition tends to relate to sales goals which can be easily tracked. Does your program recognize support staff and non-sales employees? Creating a program inclusive of all positions and levels is a challenge because it starts with clearly defined roles and performance expectations.
Peer and customer nominations. In some businesses, peers and or customers can nominate employees whom have gone above and beyond the call of duty. This can be a great way to create a bottom up recognition program that highlights and encourages both the vision and mission statement of the business.
There is no “I” in Team. Offering individual, team or department rewards is something to consider. A team may have its own set of expectations and through combined strengths stand out in the organization.
The reward. The options are endless. From monetary to a paid day off. From gift baskets to cruises, car leases and more… companies have a variety of options to reward their top performers. And as pointed out on the Terryberry Employee Recognition Blog – Recognition letters are one of the top workplace motivators!
Tami Ross
Gift & Appreciation Marketing Specialist with OBB Nashville
Parking can run you $16 a day so you may want to head out with a car load of fans or check into the shuttles that run from downtown.
Of course the whole idea has me thinking up vampire gift basket ideas complete with the books series or the first movie… decorated with a few pieces of garlic and maybe a cross. How perfect would a chocolate cross wrapped in silver foil be???
Every year the Ross Family heads down to Franklin to take in the Dicken’s of a Christmas two day event. I’m such a HUGE fan of The Christmas Carol and this event seems to kick off the holidays in earnest for me.
I remember a basket delivery last year… it was really close to an afternoon appointment and I thought I could save the client a little money if I dropped the gift off myself…
I left the meeting and headed to the drop off point… made it in record time and then spend over an hour finding my way back to the office!!! I saved the client a few dollars and cost myself over an hour of time.
I mention this because as you plan for your holiday gift giving know that there are professional gift designers out here to help save you time and ultimately the headache and frustration. I outsource my deliveries so I can focus on your gift design and you can focus on what drives your bottom dollar.
5 things to know when you’re hiring a gift basket company
1. Budget – provide a range within $10 and note if the budget includes shipping and handling and tax.
2. Delivery date – most holiday corporate gifts go out the week of the Dec 10th. Planning ahead allows you to ship ground… the savings here can really add up
3. Themes or ideas – This could mean adding a special item or using a specific color. With a little of this and a little of that a custom look can be achieved without breaking the bank.
4. Messages for cards – This is a great way to further customize your gift. Messages can be added to gift tag or to the shipping box.
5. Payment – most custom projects require a deposit upfront. OBB Nashville takes a 50% deposit before physically creating the gifts, but the intial consultation and design are free.
I love attending the book festival here in Nashville… last year I was all set to take in a reading from the poet Lisa Williams, when my 2 year old (I know totally my fault for bringing her) decided she wanted to climb the walls…
Ideas for book lover gift baskets are endless. You can use themes taken from books themselves. Thanks to my neighbour, I’m currently into Sue Grafton novels so adding a magnify glass could do the trick. I love cook books… especially Southern US food and Italian themes. My favorite book lover basket is the rainy day in… with gourmet chocolate, tea and a book… depending on the budget you can include a throw. These are great thinking of you baskets and fun birthday and holiday gifts.
Tami Ross Gift Specialist with OBB Nashville www.obbgiftsnashville.com
