The Motivation Conversation

Top 5 Ways to use Incentive Travel as Recognition for Non-Sales Employees

When you think of incentive travel as a recognition tool for employees the focus tends to be on recognizing and rewarding sales employees for performance.  In the current economic climate companies are implementing new approaches to gain market share and the focus is shifting to motivating all employees' behaviors that drive business success.  Given this recent trend the Incentive Research Foundation conducted a soon to be released study the Design and Impact of Employee Recognition Travel Programs.  When you are directing group travel rewards at your non-sales employees here are the top 5 strategies to a successful program:

• Align the Program with Company Culture- Reinforce your program's mission and vision to desired outcomes
• The Program Needs Management Support- Support and reinforcement is key from all levels of management including senior leaders
• Clarify the Nomination Process Early and Often- Provide managers with a clear criteria and guidance for submission to ensure the most deserving employees are recognized
• The Evaluation and Selection Process Must Be Transparent- Key considerations are who to involve in the selection of winners, what criteria will be used, and to what extent to share the details of this process with employees
• Incentive Travel is One Piece of the Recognition Equation- Building a campaign in support of the annual trip is one way to increase the frequency of program touches and to keep the message fresh

More and more companies are using incentive travel as a tool to drive desired behavior in their non-sales employees.  Another key takeaway is that incentive travel costs a lesser percentage of employee's salaries than cash recognition and has a much higher perceived reward value than cash.  So it costs less as reward and the value and results are higher.

 

What is the Secret to Keeping Your Customers?

I had the distinct pleasure of being interviewed by one of the top experts in the field of customer service and loyalty Lisbeth Caladrino.  Check out her most recent blog post as we discuss strategic ways to improve and build customer loyalty by properly rewarding your customers.