What You Need To Do To Protect Your Recognition Budget

What is it about recognition budgets? They seem to get decimated at a blink of an eye.

Too often recognition is one of the first budget lines to be cut. This happens when recognition has not been positioned properly as a strategic tool to engage talent and lift results.

The summer months are a great time for you to begin your preparations for protecting next year’s budget.

There are two phases to protecting your recognition budget – preparation phase and presentation phase.

Follow along to see what you can do today to get things ready for your next budget submission. (more…)

The Most Common Problems With Creating a Recognition Strategy

You all know the importance and wisdom of creating a written recognition strategy. WorldatWork states 55% of companies have a recognition strategy as of 2017. Of those with a written recognition strategy, 95% of them are aligned with the organizational strategy.

Many things hold companies back from producing such a working document.

Here’s what I have observed as the most common problems. And I will share some ideas with how to solve them. (more…)

How To Solve HR’s Multi-Faceted Problems With Recognition

Does your CHRO or HR Manager seem overwhelmed?

Human Resources leaders are getting fatigued with all that is on their plates right now. They tend to get bogged down with all the administrative details versus the strategic work they want to do.

They’re expected to keep the talent acquisition pipeline filled, increase the engagement level of all employees, have the most attractive benefits and compensation packages, keep up with diversity and inclusion, and ensure everyone’ productive and performing well.

Where should HR prioritize?

HR needs to focus on the people side of the company and all actions that will add value to the business.

There is one tool, however, that will help you with both these areas.

It goes across all the functional responsibilities HR has to handle.

Are you ready? (more…)

Why You Need Recognition In Your Strategic HR Plan

Find the nearest Chief People Officer or Chief Human Resources Officer and demand that employee recognition be included in their Strategic HR Plan.

This fancy, multi-page document, with charts and pictures, models, frameworks and goals, links the needs of your people with the business strategy and goals your leaders want to achieve for your organization.

Your Chief Financial Officer has already made sure the financial projections and plans have been laid out on how to reach those goals.

These days most mid- to large sized organizations have a strategic plan. It is becoming equally essential to have a strategic human resource plan.

Talent management, for example, is becoming a major issue with the aging workforce crisis and lack of educated and trained people to replace those retiring.

But too often employee recognition gets overlooked in strategic HR plans.

(more…)

Recognition Cannot Solve All the Problems in the World

Sometimes, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because employee recognition programs and practices are such great things to instil properly in the workplace, they can solve all ills, HR woes and people problems.

Unfortunately, practicing positive recognition in the workplace and using recognition programs better and more effectively, will not solve world hunger, stop wars or bring peace and unity to the world.

That’s why I get concerned when I hear people say things like recognition can help your organization reduce absenteeism.

Recognition is typically an intangible expression of acknowledgement and valuing of an individual or team.

What you can recognize are people’s positive behaviours, their personal effort towards something or great contributions they have made.

You don’t recognize people’s genuine or chosen problems.

Here are some examples of what employee recognition cannot do. (more…)

Recognition Should Not Be Owned By HR

Something about the “human” in Human Resources has relegated recognition practices and programs to the HR department.

Oh, there are times recognition might fall under another section of HR. Perhaps compensation and benefits. However, they tend to focus more on the rewards side of things because of their responsibility for the total rewards package.

The pure (or poor!) HR folks typically get dumped with being responsible for all things employee recognition. Many people I know in the HR field are desperately trying to get away from being known as “the caterers”, “event planners”, and the “party-balloon-blow-up-people”. (more…)