Maybe you, as an employer have thought about updating your incentive program but just never got around to start that project. Here follows some advice and basic information that could help you get started.

What Should be Rewarded?

Ask yourself what behavior you, as the employer, want to reward through an incentive program. Do you want to reward employees for the effect of their performance on the bottom line, or on how they live company values? This question can be divided into two categories: performance-based rewards and value-based rewards.

Performance-based rewards – for example exceeding sales expectations – can easily be rewarded with hard cash. This means you are rewarding behaviors that translate into an economic benefit for the company. Using performance-based rewards can be good when you want to meet specific goals and generate a lot of business, however, these types of rewards can easily create a competitive atmosphere amongst employees.

Value-based rewards can be more subjective. They acknowledge behavior such as teamwork or traits such as ability to build morale, and they don’t have to be cash-based to work effectively. Value-based rewards are good for creating and establishing a strong company culture and help long-term future goals.

Which Rewards Should be Given?

Realize that every employee is different, and therefore prioritize different things in life. Some will be motivated by a higher salary and some will be motivated by working part time.

It is important that you understand your employees and what motivates them. To do this look at both demographic and psychological factors. For example: an entry-level employee with a lower income level might have more basic needs and might prefer cash, but an experienced and well established employee earning a higher income might prefer something with trophy value that enhances their self-esteem.  

To explore these psychological factors, simply ask employees what types of behavior they would like you to recognize, and how. A survey takes out the guesswork, and employees will appreciate the fact that you asked.

Communicating the Rewards

People have a tendency to repeat a behavior when they are rewarded for performing in that particular way. How well they are motivated is a function of how clear the connection is between rewards and performance, and how valued the rewards are.

How well the incentive program is communicated is vital in making the whole project actually function. The rewards for specific performance or behavior should be clear to all employees. For example: if you are using performance-based rewards to motivate sales staff to reach certain call quotas, it should be fully clear to the employees how many calls are expected of them. They should also know what happens if they don’t reach the call quota, or what happens if they reach it with great exception.

The simplest way to communicate the incentive program is through creating a company policy, which shows the specific behavior, what goals to reach and what will be rewarded for reaching them.

The Power of Noncash Rewards

Let’s examine the power of noncash rewards. Maritz, a sales and marketing service company focused on employee motivation, recommends using non-cash rewards because they are clearly separated from pay. Employees treat cash, no matter when it is offered, as pay. This makes the reward less of an incentive tool and more as a form of compensation for hard work already done.

A Hay Group research representing about four million employees worldwide, shows that some of the most common reasons for leaving an organization are connected to nonfinancial issues. These include: lack of career development opportunities; poor work climate; lack of challenging work; direction of the organization and lack of recognition. To work closer with these issues might lead to stronger employee retention.

My own experience with this topic has shown me candidates will leave long term career positions with highly paid benefit packages and great salaries to try out new positions and assignments. When I interview candidates, and the topic of compensation comes up, most of our candidates answer that they are flexible dependent upon the circumstances of the available position. Also, when discussing why they left their old job, many of the candidates talk about the environment and the atmosphere or specific assignments and tasks rather than the compensation and benefits

Conclusion

I hope this article has given you some advice and information to help you get going on the project of updating your company’s incentive program. More information about this subject can be found at these links: 

http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/compensation/Articles/Pages/NoncashMotivator.aspx

http://www.rewardsdirect.com/direct/module/pdf/NonCashRewardsAreBestForPeformanceImprovement.pdf

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/apr2009/ca20090424_868872.htm 

Also, check out DanielPink’s presentation “The Surprising Science of Motivation” at TED(can be found on Youtube or at www.Ted.com). 

HenrikLindqvist

Staffing Intern 

Your friends are envious of your short commute, but they don’t realize just how much filing, administrative work, and accounts payable and receivable, you do each day. Every hour feels like a negotiation when you work from home. Should you spend precious time on business development, or squander your talents on the growing pile of filing that needs to get done?

You may think of temporary staff workers as people employed by large offices to supplement a short staff. But who is shorter-staffed than you? Here are three reasons why a temp could change the way you do business, in just a few hours per week.

1. Hiring a temp will actually save you money. Think about the number of hours you spend on administrative tasks each week. Now, think about the hourly rate you bill to your clients. You are an expert in your field and your time is expensive. Hiring a temp is a great way of delegating those admin tasks without paying an arm and a leg, and using that time to complete projects which utilize your skills and pay accordingly. 

2. Bringing a temporary employee into your home office can mean a reduction in errors and a more stream-lined operation. You don’t have a background in accounting or tax preparation, so why are you expecting yourself to do these tasks easily and without error? Many temporary employees specialize in accounts payable and receivable, and can not only get the work done well, but can help to set up systems that will make your office run smoothly. 

3. You’ll accomplish tasks using a temp that would never get done otherwise. Need to convert your contacts to new database? Have you been procrastinating for months on researching new prospective clients? Letting these tasks go is hurting your business. Bringing in a temp for just a few hours buys you a staffer with a laser-like focus, who will hone in on these tasks and bring you up to speed in no time! 

When the economy slows down, we know that your schedule speeds up, as you spend even more time on business development and client retention than ever before. Hiring a temp is a great way to clean up lingering tasks and focus on the work that demands all of your attention!

Smile. The economy is making a comeback!

Understandably, this statement may be a challenge to digest in light of reports from The Wall Street Journal that nearly one in three unemployed people have been out of work for more than a year, and headlines about massive job cuts from major corporations.

None-the-less, statistics from the U.S. Labor Department show that unemployment rates have dropped to 15.8% from 15.9% in recent months, and new national and state-wide Job Plans are on the horizon. Sure, the economy is improving slowly at best; however, do you remember the story of the Tortoise & The Hare? Slow and steady WINS THE RACE!

Still, the reality of being unemployed, under-employed, over-worked, underpaid, or unappreciated at work can certainly be wearing on us in more ways than one. According to The YOU Docs, Doctor Oz and Doctor Roizen, “the shaky economy’s ratcheting up workday stress for 70 percent of us.” These Docs go on to stress how this infects our home life, is a health threat, and just bad for business.

Well. Here’s the latest headline, hot off the presses:

You Can Improve Your Mood & Stay Positive at Work!

Just by reading this article, you are already on

the path to positivity!

Here’s a countdown of the

Top 10 Ways to Accentuate the Positive in the Workplace:

10. Stay Present - This means Stay in the Moment, perhaps by making time to Plan Your Day, breaking down your workload into more manageable bits, or taking things one task at a time. Indeed, remaining present will help you be less anxious, and more focused on the big picture, and what’s truly important.

9. Breathe - Deeply. Yes. It really IS that simple. Whether at a meditation class during lunchtime (ask Debra about this one!), or simply taking a moment at your desk–eyes opened or closed–to breathe in & out, slowly, staying aware of your breath, DOES help!

8. Be Well - Eat Well. Sleep Well. Exercise. Making your health a priority will allow you to Stay Well, Stay Present, and Not Sweat the Small Stuff (as much!)

7. Decorate to Accentuate - In ways that you can, add some personal flair, pizzazz, or comforts of home to your workplace. Favorite colors, pictures of family & friends, artwork, even flowers can do wonders to lift your spirits at work!

6. Get Up, Get Out, & MOVE! - Getting up and away from your desk, stretching, walking around the block, getting some sun (Vitamin D if you please!), and just switching it up will help you de-stress, and re-focus!

5. Avoid Office Gossip - This includes “Office Politics”, and negative “Water Cooler Chatter”. Being and/or convening with a Negative Nancy is Bad News Bears.   Period.

4. List Your Job Benefits - Now, this doesn’t just mean your pension plan, although that certainly is a positive! Be it health care, steady income, learning new skills, interacting with others, opportunities to network, or increased independence, listing the benefits of your job helps keep even a seemingly unbearable work situation in perspective.

3. Proclaim the Positive! - Even in the most dreary of job situations, it helps to take note of the aspects of your job that actually give you joy, and a sense of accomplishment. This may include being able to provide for yourself and/or your family, being able to help others, or even just knowing that you are good at what you do!

2. Stop & Smell the Roses - Seriously. Whether you take this literally, and take pause as you walk to smell a sweet rose bud, or more symbolically as you share a laugh with a co-worker, this holistic approach will improve your mood, and warm your heart.

1. Work with Purpose! - Find meaning in what you do everyday, even if it is job searching. Embrace an Attitude of Gratitude! Give yourself a pat on the back for sticking through the difficult times, being able to make a difference in people’s lives, and learning to appreciate were you are right now.

As Marie Stempinski, President and Founder of Strategic Communication, says:

“Life doesn’t just happen. You are in charge and can control how you react to everything that happens to and around you.”

And, when all else seems to fail, breathe again.

Things ARE getting better!

]]> http://thetemptimes.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/top-10-ways-to-accentuate-the-positive-in-the-workplace/feed/ 0 thetemptimes http://thetemptimes.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/welcome-to-the-new-home-of-the-temptimes/ http://thetemptimes.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/welcome-to-the-new-home-of-the-temptimes/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:21:38 +0000 thetemptimes http://thetemptimes.wordpress.com/?p=21 […]]]> Here are few retroactively added blog posts from this year.

Monday, June 20, 2011
Debra Monroe Speaks about Age Discrimination on Swedish TV

Debra Mugnani Monroe was interviewed earlier this month for a segment on age discrimination for Swedish TV (the Swedish equivalent of the BBC, serving 7 million viewers.) Contrary to Sweden’s socially responsible reputation, they still have no legal age discrimination protection and those over fifty are having the hardest time finding work there. There is a push to change that happening there now. You’ll find the interview around the 28 minute mark on this video.
Swedish TV: Agenda

3:39 pm pdt

Friday, January 28, 2011
Join Monroe Personnel Service and the Employer Advisory Council at 8:00 am on February 3, 2011 to learn more about the components of the I-9 and its recent changes:

This session will address the critical components of the I-9, Employee Eligibility Verification form and the e-Verify system. With the new changes to the I-9 form and increased worksite enforcement actions completing and maintaining the I-9 form has become more complicated and riddled with significant liability.

Please RSVP before February 1, 2011 to:
Gene Nwafor
Gene.Nwafor@edd.ca.gov
(415) 749-7480

Tell them Monroe invited you!
11:41 am pst

Thursday, January 20, 2011
Did You Know?
The San Francisco Employer Advisory Council (SFEAC) can be a great resource for anyone involved in their company’s human resources functions. Partnering with the state Employment Development Department (EDD), the EAC helps employers do business more effectively and efficiently by educating them about relevant employment issues, increasing employer knowledge of EDD programs and services, increasing cooperation and communication between EDD and the private sector, and identifying ways to improve EDD services. The EAC also assists employers in their efforts to give back to their communities by advocating local workforce development efforts, supporting veterans’ stand downs and providing scholarships to local area youth.

Who should belong to the EAC? Employers from businesses of every size can benefit including business owners, corporate managers, human resource managers, office managers and CPAs, CFOs or Treasurers. Members can stay abreast of changes in employment law through expert speakers, often from well-renowned labor law offices, at general membership meetings, receive assistance on a variety of human resource tops through the management hotline, and network with peers. In addition, members receive the EAC newsletters and can attend seminars and workshops on job services, employment tax, disability insurance, unemployment insurance and personnel administration.
For more information about membership and seminars contact:
Gene Nwafor, EDD
San Francisco EAC Coordinator
801 Turk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 749-7480
Fax: (415) 775-4526
Email: Gnwafor@edd.ca.gov

Employers are invited to become members for $75 annually. This membership is per company allowing all employees access to the above benefits. To be added to the mailing list, contact Gene Nwafor at the e-mail or phone number listed.
3:22 pm pst