Create Employee Loyalty: What Do They Want?
It's often a conundrum for most employers to create employee loyalty within their company. Figuring out how to motivate employees, keep them happy and prevent them for looking for other employment is a major concern, especially given the diverse interest and priorities between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Where do you start? What would the budget look like, if there even is one? Maybe this will help. Towergate Insurance performed a recent study and created an infographic to try to answer the question,
3 Ways to Help Millennials in the Workplace
Millennials are an increasing portion of the workforce in America. But employers aren’t sure quite how to handle millennials in the workplace, and often times they can be misunderstood. They are often viewed as job hoppers (but it might just be because they have a constant fear of being let go), they are viewed as overconfident (but they’ve actually had more experience prior to graduation than any previous generation) and employers have a hard time helping them reach their full potential. Fast Company has offers strategies to help millennials in the workplace in their article, How to Bridge the Gap Between Potential and Performance. Here are my top three:
Employee Recognition Programs Reflect Company Values
In today's workforce, employee recognition is more than just a "nice to have"—it’s a critical driver for retention, engagement, and embodying company culture. As companies grapple with rising turnover and a more competitive talent market, recognition programs are essential in communicating core values while maintaining employee satisfaction. Modern organizations have come to realize that a well-executed recognition program goes beyond sporadic rewards and speaks directly to the heart of a company’s mission.
3 Tips for Gamification in the Workplace
As HR departments struggle to figure out how to motivate employees, integrating gamification in the workplace remains a popular option. Fast Company article, What the Future of Gamification in the Workplace Looks Like, discusses the importance of realizing that simple, one-size-fits-all solutions will not work.
Time for Employee Recognition
According to Incentive Magazine, the number one reason employers and managers give for not practicing employee recognition is time. They don't have time, they can't find the right time, it's not effective if you do it too much or too little. There are a million reasons. But the reality is, employee recognition shouldn't take a lot of time, and with some planning and scheduling employee recognition can extend the time employees remain loyal to their organization.
1). Timely Employee Recognition- If an employee does something worth recognizing, make sure you execute on employee recognition in a timely manner. If you wait too long the recognition becomes stale and ineffective. Ensure ROI and trophy value for rewards by recognizing employees as soon as possible.
2). Doesn't Need to Take A Lot of Time- There's a misconception in the market that employee recognition is time consuming. However, if you have a regular recognition program, and rewards on site, recognition only needs to take a few minutes. Whether it's public or private employee recognition, it doesn't need to be a time suck.
3). Deliberate Frequency- Make employee recognition programmatic. That way employee expectations around recognition and rewards are set and can be met and/or exceeded. From a time perspective, deliberate recognition builds recognition into your calendar, rather than being disruptive. Making time for employee recognition will ensure ROI into any program that is approved and endorsed by management.
