Incentive programs are no new idea. The problem issue here is what is a good incentive?
In Margaret Nadeau’s blog, the issue of rewards is brought up. The argument is that companies understand the need for rewards but the’re not doing it right. I completely agree. According to the original article, companies are offering rewards that do not correspond to motivating the employee, at least not for the right reasons.
At some point, rewards become expected.After a certain amount of work, there is a reward. Rewards become expected, not motivating. Further issues arise when companies provide rewards for something completely incongruent with the employee’s work. It is understandable that rewards programs are costly initiatives. Acting like a cheapskate, however, defeats the whole purpose of a reward program. If no one wants the “reward”, then it is hardly an incentive.
Perhaps a better idea is to properly design an rewards and incentives. More specifically, they should be tailored to motivating the employee to producing a certain results. The article further suggests non-monetary rewards such as growth opportunities, new challenges and broader purpose for the employees. Whatever the final program is, the key is to make it worthwhile to employees.
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