Employee Recognition and Kid's Birthday Party Swag
Ever since the last SHRM Annual Conference in June I seem to have had the good fortune to end up on some kind of Human Resources marketing mailing list, (thanks for sharing SHRM!), and have seen a decided uptick in the old mailbox (the snail mail one), in training course catalogs, vendor pitches, conference supplies, (I can get you a great deal on lanyards, provided you need a few thousand), and so on.
This week an 100-plus page catalog from one of the better known employee recognition purveyors landed in the mailbox. Page after page of products like employee thank-you cards, pins, travel mugs, those cool acrylic or glass statue thingies you see in cubeland from time to time. You know the ones that the project team engraves and hands out after the system goes live or the merger is completed, kind of like miniature versions of the HR Emmys.
No big deal, right? We all know, and have read articles and seen webcasts or conference sessions ad nauseum in the last few years of the importance of employee recognition, and the critical role that it plays in fostering employee engagement, happiness, and even commitment to the organization. These are all necessary and valid concepts, and I am in no way discounting their importance here. In fact, as my friend Paul Hebert will tell you, (well I am not actually sure he'd tell you this exactly, but bear with me), a well planned and executed employee recognition program can help drive increased revenue, productivity, heck, whatever it is you want to drive.
So I was thinking about how powerful and effective the right recognition programs can be when I flipped to pages 26-27 in the above mentioned catalog (pictured above), and landed on the spread of swag from something called the 'Essential Piece' theme. I get the idea, the company is having some kind of event, or meeting, or recognition ceremony; and they'd pass out assorted mugs, pens, tote bags, keychains, etc. all branded with some form of the message to employees that each one is an 'Essential Piece' on the team.
But in only a second of looking at the swag laid out before me, I immediately thought that these pages could have been torn from your favorite party supplies catalog, you know the section where the kid's themed birthday party stuff is laid out. Where parents that really ought to know better end up selecting cups, plates, streamers, party hats, noisemakers, cake toppers, etc. - all with the same theme. Because we know every kid's party has to have a theme, and heaven help you if you try and pair a Star Wars cup with a Spongebob plate.
Here's the section of the post where I'm supposed to drive to an epic conclusion or call to action. But this time I really don't have one other than to observe that I always felt like a doofus buying the full set of Toy Story or Pirates of the Caribbean party swag for my kid's parties over the years. None of the kids really cared whether the 'theme' was consistent from pinata to cake. But what the kids did care about was whether they had a good time, the games were fun, their friends were there, and the cake and ice cream was on the money. That's what created the memories.
So buy all the 'recognition' swag you want - no one will remember that either for very long. But the people, the relationships, the work experiences; those things that really matter - well SHRM has not sent me a catalog that stocks those items just yet.
Reader Comments (6)
Brilliant, Steve, and if I may say so - you *did* drive to an "epic conclusion." Too many of the vendors in my industry (recognition and rewards) put the rewards first. That's why these programs become the "flavor of the month" in companies - and why employees think of them as jokes. A member of my team told me she once received one of those engraved acrylic items you mentioned. You know what she calls it? A "tombstone." That was a bit foreign to my Irish sensibilities (she's American), but she told me that's a common term in the US for them.
What I'm trying to get at is that too often well meaning managers (and the HR pros backing the "program") give employees kids party favors and tombstones. Walk into any Salvation Army or Goodwill store and count the number of company logo merchandise items.
Rather, we should be focusing our attention where it belongs - on *recognizing* employees for their contributions and behaviours that demonstrate your company values - on telling them, frequently and specifically, how much they and their efforts are valued and how they're contributing to making the company/organization successful.
Sure, there's a place for * meaningful* rewards so employees can cement that goodwill in their memories for years to come - but you certainly won't find those rewards in the pages of a catalog.
Thanks very much Derek - I know I dipped a toe into your area of expertise, so I appreciate the comments.
It’s basic human nature to gravitate to an atmosphere of acceptance and encouragement. When employees know they matter—and their work matters, they become emotionally invested in a positive way. Employees bring attitudes and emotions with them every day to work. They will invest energy into the positive or negative. Everyone knows how the negative energy is spent—complaining, clock-watching and so on. Recognition is not magic, but it definitely affects the probability of positive thinking and thereby positive results.
The fact that the reminder is delivered as a gift or reward strengthens the message of achievement while recognizing the efforts of the staff.
Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
A very interesting perspective. Surely we need to digress from traditional approaches if we were to strike a deal.
Typically, research shows that pay / benefits do not feature as a top driver of engagement – they affect engagement, but other factors assume higher priority when it comes to engagement. However, pay / benefits are critical drivers of talent attraction and retention.