In the spirit of the season, in the hustle of year end, it’s easy to forget who is behind your company’s success – your employees! Don’t let the holiday season pass by without recognizing each team member.

We get it… things are “busy.” However, employee recognition strategies are important – they’re part of your business retention strategy – and your business operating strategy. By recognizing your employees for their individual efforts, for their “above and beyond,” or for hitting specific performance measures, you are effectively saying to them “you matter.” This makes all the difference between retaining an engaged employee versus hanging onto a disgruntled teammate.


Here are
 a few pointers on recognizing your employees during the holiday and at year end.



#RecognitionStrategy #HolidayRecognition #EmployeeEngagement

Building Connections For Culture

Some of today’s employees look, act, and, most notably have a different mindset than generations who have come before them as it relates to their loyalty to an organization. In response, organizations are realizing the value in making frequent connections with their employees – and how these connections can have an impact on employee engagement and overall retention.

Connecting with new hires, making connections between teammates and managers, and making connections to your brand – all work together to create employee pride in your company.


Click here
to learn how you can put a 360-degree effort around connections and retention.






#EmployeeRetention #CompanyCulture #EmployeeEngagement

Back to the Basics: Recognition, Appreciation, and Employee Engagement

Recognition and appreciation should be the foundation of your employee engagement strategy and at this moment in time, it should be at the top of every CEO’s priority list.

According to Gallup’s most recent survey published in January of 2023, “employee engagement in the U.S. saw its first annual decline in a decade — dropping from 36% engaged employees in 2020 to 34% in 2021. This pattern continued into 2022, as only 32% of full- and part-time employees working for organizations are now engaged, while 18% are actively disengaged.”1  What does this tell us? It tells us it’s time for change and time to step up your recognition efforts… so your company doesn’t become a statistic.

So how do you start? What do you need to be successful? Click here to learn how to get back to basics with five easy steps.

1https://www.gallup.com/workplace/468233/employee-engagement-needs-rebound-2023.aspx






#EmployeeRecognition #EmployeeEngagement #CompanyCulture

Holiday Recognition: Sparking Enthusiasm and a Sense of Purpose

Holidays mean different things to different people, but gratitude, no matter how you translate it, is a universal connector. Gratitude and recognition will ALWAYS make the holidays bright for everyone.

The end-of-the-year holiday season is an ideal time to spark your teammates’ enthusiasm and recognize their accomplishments, while ensuring they understand how valuable their contributions are to your organization. Investing time and energy into employee recognition and gratitude during the holiday season can be paramount in positively impacting employee engagement and inspiring motivation for the new year.

Learn how you can take advantage of the energy and excitement during the holidays and get employees in the mode of gratitude.






#HolidayRecognition #RecognitionStrategy #EmployeeEngagement

Why Measures Matter: Examining the value of ROI.

In the last of our three-part series on strategic measurement for recognition strategies, we’re examining return on investment (ROI) – a measure that indicates the financial return of a recognition strategy. Arguably one of the most prevalent, universally understandable and accepted measures of success, ROI can be calculated differently based on business models, programs, or circumstantial situations.

So why measure ROI? As it relates to your recognition program, understanding whether it is worth the investment is probably the biggest reason. As we shared in Part 2, when evaluating the impact of your recognition strategy, ROO and ROI go hand in hand. It’s great that you may have a program or strategy in place, and you may have some ROO measures that look positive, now the next piece is determining if your strategy is bringing in a return on that investment.

Learn how calculating the ROO and ROI of your recognition strategy will provide the foundation that shapes your company culture for the long-term engagement of your employees.






#StrategicRecognition #EngagementMetrics #EmployeeEngagement

Why Measures Matter: Examining the value of ROO.

Return on objective (ROO) focuses on defining and achieving specific measurable objectives. Traditionally, ROO has been considered an alternative success metric – another way of analyzing the effectiveness of a program/campaign/strategy. In fact, ROO goes hand in hand with ROI, and enables your organization to make informed decisions for continuous improvement and also gain an understanding of how your investment is going.

Having a solid measurement plan around your recognition strategy (of which ROO is one part) means you can clearly make your case with relevant data showing that it’s not just for HR, but for the greater good of the company. Determining the right objectives to put in place for your overall ROO is key – measuring without context or without a plan to do something with your data won’t tell you the bigger picture.

Learn how to define your ROO to make a long-term impact on the culture of your organization!






#StrategicRecognition #EngagementMetrics #EmployeeEngagement

Why Measures Matter:
Making the case for strategic recognition.

It’s not uncommon for organizations to find their recognition programs disconnected from one another. Different departments, leadership, and management styles want to implement their own initiatives, creating more of a pop-up programmatic culture. These programs often end up being short lived and ineffective in developing long-term employee engagement.

The solution is to take a strategic approach to recognition with a supportive framework that is more than just a series of touchpoints here and there. One of the most critical components of transforming a recognition program into a recognition strategy is around measurement – and being able to make decisions based on data rather than gut. The good news is that it’s easy to put measures in place that allow you to test, learn and modify your plans accordingly to develop the perfect strategy.

A measurements-based, outcome-focused recognition program will create align and integrate efforts across your entire system, ensuring engaged employees and affecting organizational change.

Check out some measurements that matter to your organization and learn how to implement them into your recognition program!






#StrategicRecognition #EngagementMetrics #EmployeeEngagement

{Re}opening. {Re}connecting. {Re}turning to the Workplace.

It’s a hot topic among employees today; “when are we going back to the office?” Returning to the workplace for people who have been working remotely for the past year can be considered either exciting or scary (or inconsequential).

Incentive Services University is always looking for positive examples in the workplace, and in the past year, there were many positive ways companies improved their employees’ experiences. Better yet, these evolutions morphed into changes for the better within the workplace.

Learn more about how to how to help your employees have a smooth transition back to the office, and how to keep your engagement efforts working here!






#ReturnToTheWorkplace #EmployeeEngagement #CompanyCulture

The Role of Virtual Engagement in a Non-Virtual Culture.

Companies have become extremely creative at keeping their remote employees engaged by ramping up their virtual engagement strategies. However, many people are not “working from wherever.” They are still showing up to work in healthcare, retail, and other essential businesses. Is it possible to apply some of these virtual engagement strategies to your on-site team? Absolutely! Virtual engagement is still relevant and important to building a strong employee experience for those who are still going to work outside of their home.

Check out virtual engagement strategies and best practices being utilized by top organizations across the country here!



#EmployeeEngagement #RemoteWorkStrategies #CompanyCulture

2020. It’s been a lot. But, despite all the negativity, there are many positive ways companies have improved their employees’ experience. And, it’s even more inspiring to know that they’re evolving their company culture for the long run. Successful leaders have found that engaging the family, understanding what employees really want/need and recognizing individuals with creativity and authenticity makes a big difference!

Check out a few of the impactful, creative, and smile worthy initiatives noteworthy organizations are utilizing here!

What will you do to improve your employee engagement in 2021?






#EmployeeExperience #EmployeeRecognition #EmployeeEngagement