Rewarding Employees

Seven Tips for Success

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Impact Learning Systems InternationalP.O. Box 14110San Luis Obispo, CA 93406Toll Free: 800.545.9003Voice: 805.781.3283Fax: 805.545.9075Email: info@impactlearning.com www.impactlearning.com

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Rewarding Employees

Seven Tips for Success

Trainers and managers everywhere have recognized that in the present job climate, rewarding highperformers

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and enticing lower ones

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is more important than ever. When handled well, rewardprograms can inspire employees to improve their performance and to feel good about the work theydo and the contribution they make to the organization. They can also bring an element of fun andexcitement into the environment, help keep spirits high, and increase loyalty and company pride.When not handled well, however, reward programs can mean disaster for both employees and

employers. In this article, you’ll learn several valuable tips for keeping your reward practices on

track. Dozens of additional tips can be found in

Managing & Motivating Contact Center Employees

(McGraw-Hill, December 2002), authored by the Impact Learning Systems team.

Tip #1: Don’t rely on rewards to do your coaching for

you.

Tangible rewards are a great way to positively reinforce employees for their efforts, but you

shouldn’t rely on them to do your coaching for you. Rewards should be offered from time to time,

but consistent and regular feedback on performance (in the form of praising and correcting) isindispensable.

Tip #2: Don’t reward employees for doing what’s expected

Don’t reward people simply for meeting the standards of the job. For example, if employees are

required to be at work at 7:30

and only some of them show up at that time, you might betempted to think that you can change the behavior of the latecomers by rewarding those who areon time. Maybe

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but it’s a dangero

us gamble. Those who show up on time will likely beembarrassed and those who are late will eventually learn that the only drawback to being late is

that they don’t get a reward. Better to correct the undesirable behavior with effective feedback.

Tip #3: Don’t be cheap

If people work hard to achieve some company-mandated goal and are then given a ball-point pen,

they might feel less than thanked. Rewarding is not only about giving some tangible award; it’s also

about honoring employees and treating them with dignity. Don

’t let cheap rewards devalue their

efforts.