INDUSTRY INSIGHTS YOUR PEERS ARE READING
FEBRUARY 5, 2019
Could it be that we are designing and communicating incentives for our highest performance all wrong? This study specifically looked at the impact of incentives on motor and neurological performance in high-pressure situations. Or, follow him on Twitter at @ DanFutureSense. MORE
MAY 9, 2017
Director of Reward and Recognition at pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in 2011, it was going through a transformation. Brewer and Nelson worked together to create an incentive program with many facets in order to help satisfy all four of the drives. MORE
MARCH 10, 2015
Over the past few years, there has been a lot of negative press about incentives. Specifically that incentives don’t work, they are a hangover from “motivation 1.0” Incentives do a great job of focusing attention, focusing behavior and signaling what we think is valuable. MORE
SEPTEMBER 20, 2018
Designing an effective incentive plan is always a challenge. Over many years I have come to rely on what I call the Incentive Plan Rule of Three. No more than three metrics (KPI), no more than three defined goal levels, no more than three incentive plans for any one individual. MORE
JUNE 22, 2018
Editor's Note: Do your incentive plans make the right decisions seem wrong and discourage the choices most critical to your organization's future? Are your incentive plans designed to support or defeat your organization's business strategy? Follow her on Twitter at @annbares. MORE
OCTOBER 2, 2019
Annual and long-term incentive plans are often not as well cared for. Just like the fact that most kids don’t grow up wishing to be a dentist, few compensation professionals aspire to be mavens of incentive plans. Yes, incentive plans can be harder than base pay. MORE
JUNE 30, 2019
Zimmer commented on a bonus program I had written about where each store employee (except the store manager) would receive $20 if the store met its “good" sales target for the month, and $40 if it met its “excellent" sales goal. Incentives are a poor substitute. MORE
APRIL 4, 2018
It's not that incentive plans don't work well, it's that they can work too well in motivating unintended consequences. Are any incentive compensation experts shocked by this? The failed Wells Fargo incentive plan and Tax Reform are similar. MORE
JANUARY 3, 2019
It turns out that incentive compensation doesn’t just work, it can work too well at motivating the wrong behaviors. Make sure you design your incentive plan to reduce the possibility and rewards for cheating. Incentive plans are difficult to get perfect. MORE
MARCH 27, 2017
The foursome walked up to the tee box at the short but challenging par 4 hole. Joe has been at the company for decades. He was a small man who confidently walked up to the tee, did a three-quarters wind-up and stiffly chopped down at the ball and…. MORE
JANUARY 19, 2018
59 Awesome Employee Engagement Ideas & Activities for 2018 (Plus 10 New Bonus Ideas). Have more fun at work. HR managers can agree that employee engagement and retention are at the top of their priority list. Free bonus: Download this entire list as a PDF. MORE
MAY 23, 2017
wrote an article asking, “ Should You Scrap Your Long-Term Incentive Plans? ” More important, why do plans at so many companies look almost exactly like the plans at very different companies? Ships are part of the foundation that is long-term incentives. MORE
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
A friend of mine likes to say: “It’s not that incentive pay doesn’t work well, it’s that it works TOO well. Like any well-designed incentive compensation plan, Wells Fargo’s started with a strong company culture and a simple goal that required special effort. MORE
NOVEMBER 27, 2019
I want to thank each and everyone one of you who has taken the time to like, share or even comment on the posts here at the Café. Even more importantly I truly want to thank each of you who have sent me a note, asked me a question or just walked up to me at some industry event and said hi. MORE
MAY 26, 2015
I am a fan of incentives. I’ve on record defending them when the book Drive came out 8 years ago and basically tried to shunt them into the dust bin of management and motivation ideas. Incentives are great when seeking to break behavioral inertia. Incentives are very powerful. MORE
FEBRUARY 14, 2018
I work at an elementary school and we have several catered/potluck events through the year. It sounds like whoever coordinates these events needs to be physically present by the food and when they see him show up early, should say something like, “We’re going to open this up for everyone at noon, but not before then” and also “Please limit yourself to one plate until the second lunch shift has all been fed.”. Is there a case I can make for some kind of parting bonus? MORE
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
He is a leading expert on incentive plan and equity compensation issues and has written several industry resources including the only resource dedicated to Performance-Based Equity Compensation. Or, follow him on Twitter at @ DanFutureSense. Imagine buying a brand new car. MORE
FEBRUARY 1, 2018
The 17 words listed align incredibly well with common incentive plan designs. A quick review of incentive pay basics. This is another situation where many people would be very disappointed if they didn’t “get their bonus.” Or, follow him on Twitter at @Performensation. MORE
JULY 17, 2019
The current school of thought is to offer signing bonuses. With several of the biggest names in the game offering sign-on bonuses—and money being a strong motivator to start driving—this seems like a good solution. Signing bonuses aren’t a sustainable solution to the transportation talent shortage. Increasing bonuses for drivers will eventually cause freight prices to rise, which will cost these businesses their customers. Read e-book. MORE
DECEMBER 4, 2019
Editor's Note: Because innovation is messy and irritating, and because we like to ruffle feathers here at the Cafe. An article in The Atlantic Why Experts Reject Creativity takes a close look at the bias we all have against new ways of thinking. Follow her on Twitter at @annbares. MORE
FEBRUARY 4, 2015
Not the least of them was the creation, design and management of the company’s long-term incentive program. Yolanda was very good at her job. She also combined all of these skills to build and manage her incentive compensation plans. MORE
JUNE 2, 2017
The value of the employee referrals hiring channel is old hat in the recruiting world, with some companies going as far as offering exorbitant bonuses in exchange for access to their employees' networks. What seems to be the issue with cash bonuses for referrals? MORE
DECEMBER 10, 2018
How we do things at Kazoo. Here at Kazoo, we’re able to earn points through Behavior Bonuses when we donate any item during the month of December. New Year’s Behavior Bonus Ideas. Looking for inspiration on how to make the Kazoo platform a holiday hit? MORE
DECEMBER 12, 2016
Traditionally money was seen as the main incentive used to motivate employees. Higher productivity results in higher salaries and bonuses. Employee engagement is not about the financial rewards you provide, it’s about the intrinsic motivators that drive people at your company. Interestingly, Gallup found that 64% of millennials who are engaged at work stated they would not leave their job, even if the job market improves. MORE
DECEMBER 5, 2019
It's time to accept that your job has changed from gatekeeper (limiting access to pay knowledge until employees are "ready") to educator (describing the nuts and bolts of salaries and incentives). Earlier, she was a Principal at Willis Towers Watson. MORE
MAY 22, 2015
After using the Skyway to get from my hotel to the conference site, I realized that the system was exactly like incentive compensation. Simply replace the word “Skyway” with “Incentive Plan” and you’ll easily see the lesson learned. MORE
NOVEMBER 22, 2016
Offering a generous employee bonus program can be just the right incentive to keep highly motivated employees from looking for work elsewhere. When it comes to bonus programs, not all are created equal. Say you implement a bonus program and then realize that it is flawed – either it is too hard to attain and is causing morale to suffer, or it is too easy and the payout could cost you more than you bargained for – both scenarios can be detrimental. MORE
MARCH 19, 2019
Use their methods for building your incentive plans. Your incentive plan should be designed to ensure even the unexpected isn’t a surprise. When you build an incentive plan, take the time to customize the tools for planning, modeling and tracking progress. Make sure your incentive plan delivers on its promise. You’ll be amazed at the success of the plan that follows! Your incentive plans can benefit from being far more translatable. MORE
JANUARY 26, 2018
What do ROWE and incentives have in common? At least that's the hypothesis I'm floating out here. Reading Tim's post, and the incredible discussion in his comment stream, I was struck by what I believe ROWE has in common with incentives. Bonus/Incentives Pay for Performance MORE
FEBRUARY 14, 2019
A new study, from Dan Ariely, of “ Predictably Irrational ” fame suggests that very short-term cash incentives may not be doing what we think they are doing. Ariely’s new book is “ Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations.” Or, follow him on Twitter at @ DanFutureSense. MORE
JUNE 22, 2016
There are no shortages of people telling you how to get things done at work. There is, however, a shortage of people who will HONESTLY tell you how to get things done at work. Incentive for Reducing Travel Costs. “If you book a hotel within the policy, you get 10 points. MORE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
Today is a steaming jolt of quadruple espresso in response to the Wells Fargo incentive pay mess. If you have been under a log for a couple of weeks, please start by reading a couple of earlier Compensation Café Articles (my own When Incentive Pay Goes Rogue! MORE
JUNE 4, 2019
Lost aversion preys on people’s tendency to avoid losses at a higher rate than taking risks to attain gains. This is where we can leverage Jeopardy to improve incentive plans. Most incentive plans are very heavily weighted toward “winning.” The upside is great, but the downside can often be no payment at all. When you have already earmarked your potential incentive compensation, this risk of losing some of it can stop you from earning all of it. MORE
JANUARY 20, 2017
Editor's Note: As a woman, a mother of two (young adults: one male, one female) and a science book nerd, I found Louann Brizendine's book The Female Brain fascinating for its deep dive into the neurological and even endocrinological differences in our brains. MORE
JANUARY 8, 2019
For each date, we’ve also included a list of feature ideas and suggestions – so whether you’re looking to expand your rewards catalog, swap out your Behavior Bonuses, or create new onboarding redemptions, we’ve got you covered! January Holidays and Incentives. MORE
JANUARY 26, 2018
What do ROWE and incentives have in common? At least that's the hypothesis I'm floating out here. Reading Tim's post, and the incredible discussion in his comment stream, I was struck by what I believe ROWE has in common with incentives. Bonus/Incentives Pay for Performance MORE
OCTOBER 8, 2019
Just like your teeth impact your speech your pay can impact who you hire, the kind of people you keep and whether you will succeed at all. He has three metaphors for every occasion and is a leading expert on incentive plan and equity compensation issues. Baby Teeth, Why care? MORE
AUGUST 7, 2018
Second, this means that the majority of these workers do not intend to benefit from the entirety of their Long-Term Incentives (LTI). Designing LTI to attract, motivate and retain the “next” generation: Opportunity 1: Consider “Mid-Term Incentives” that link to Long-Term Incentives. MORE
Cornerstone On Demand
JUNE 30, 2019
Zimmer commented on a bonus program I had written about where each store employee (except the store manager) would receive $20 if the store met its “good" sales target for the month, and $40 if it met its “excellent" sales goal. Incentives are a poor substitute.
Compensation Cafe
SEPTEMBER 20, 2018
Designing an effective incentive plan is always a challenge. Over many years I have come to rely on what I call the Incentive Plan Rule of Three. No more than three metrics (KPI), no more than three defined goal levels, no more than three incentive plans for any one individual.
Kazoo
JANUARY 8, 2019
For each date, we’ve also included a list of feature ideas and suggestions – so whether you’re looking to expand your rewards catalog, swap out your Behavior Bonuses, or create new onboarding redemptions, we’ve got you covered! January Holidays and Incentives.
Compensation Cafe
SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
A friend of mine likes to say: “It’s not that incentive pay doesn’t work well, it’s that it works TOO well. Like any well-designed incentive compensation plan, Wells Fargo’s started with a strong company culture and a simple goal that required special effort.
Compensation Cafe
FEBRUARY 5, 2019
Could it be that we are designing and communicating incentives for our highest performance all wrong? This study specifically looked at the impact of incentives on motor and neurological performance in high-pressure situations. Or, follow him on Twitter at @ DanFutureSense.
Compensation Cafe
JANUARY 3, 2019
It turns out that incentive compensation doesn’t just work, it can work too well at motivating the wrong behaviors. Make sure you design your incentive plan to reduce the possibility and rewards for cheating. Incentive plans are difficult to get perfect.
|
Compensation Cafe
SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
Today is a steaming jolt of quadruple espresso in response to the Wells Fargo incentive pay mess. If you have been under a log for a couple of weeks, please start by reading a couple of earlier Compensation Café Articles (my own When Incentive Pay Goes Rogue!
Compensation Cafe
APRIL 4, 2018
It's not that incentive plans don't work well, it's that they can work too well in motivating unintended consequences. Are any incentive compensation experts shocked by this? The failed Wells Fargo incentive plan and Tax Reform are similar.
What is Paul Thinking
JUNE 22, 2016
There are no shortages of people telling you how to get things done at work. There is, however, a shortage of people who will HONESTLY tell you how to get things done at work. Incentive for Reducing Travel Costs. “If you book a hotel within the policy, you get 10 points.
Compensation Cafe
MARCH 27, 2017
The foursome walked up to the tee box at the short but challenging par 4 hole. Joe has been at the company for decades. He was a small man who confidently walked up to the tee, did a three-quarters wind-up and stiffly chopped down at the ball and….
Compensation Cafe
FEBRUARY 4, 2015
Not the least of them was the creation, design and management of the company’s long-term incentive program. Yolanda was very good at her job. She also combined all of these skills to build and manage her incentive compensation plans.
|
Compensation Cafe
MARCH 19, 2019
Use their methods for building your incentive plans. Your incentive plan should be designed to ensure even the unexpected isn’t a surprise. When you build an incentive plan, take the time to customize the tools for planning, modeling and tracking progress. Make sure your incentive plan delivers on its promise. You’ll be amazed at the success of the plan that follows! Your incentive plans can benefit from being far more translatable.
Compensation Cafe
AUGUST 7, 2018
Second, this means that the majority of these workers do not intend to benefit from the entirety of their Long-Term Incentives (LTI). Designing LTI to attract, motivate and retain the “next” generation: Opportunity 1: Consider “Mid-Term Incentives” that link to Long-Term Incentives.
Compensation Cafe
JUNE 22, 2018
Editor's Note: Do your incentive plans make the right decisions seem wrong and discourage the choices most critical to your organization's future? Are your incentive plans designed to support or defeat your organization's business strategy? Follow her on Twitter at @annbares.
Kazoo
DECEMBER 10, 2018
How we do things at Kazoo. Here at Kazoo, we’re able to earn points through Behavior Bonuses when we donate any item during the month of December. New Year’s Behavior Bonus Ideas. Looking for inspiration on how to make the Kazoo platform a holiday hit?
Compensation Cafe
MAY 22, 2015
After using the Skyway to get from my hotel to the conference site, I realized that the system was exactly like incentive compensation. Simply replace the word “Skyway” with “Incentive Plan” and you’ll easily see the lesson learned.
Compensation Cafe
FEBRUARY 1, 2018
The 17 words listed align incredibly well with common incentive plan designs. A quick review of incentive pay basics. This is another situation where many people would be very disappointed if they didn’t “get their bonus.” Or, follow him on Twitter at @Performensation.
Compensation Cafe
JANUARY 20, 2017
Editor's Note: As a woman, a mother of two (young adults: one male, one female) and a science book nerd, I found Louann Brizendine's book The Female Brain fascinating for its deep dive into the neurological and even endocrinological differences in our brains.
Compensation Force
JANUARY 26, 2018
What do ROWE and incentives have in common? At least that's the hypothesis I'm floating out here. Reading Tim's post, and the incredible discussion in his comment stream, I was struck by what I believe ROWE has in common with incentives. Bonus/Incentives Pay for Performance
Compensation Force
JANUARY 26, 2018
What do ROWE and incentives have in common? At least that's the hypothesis I'm floating out here. Reading Tim's post, and the incredible discussion in his comment stream, I was struck by what I believe ROWE has in common with incentives. Bonus/Incentives Pay for Performance
PI Worldwide
JULY 17, 2019
The current school of thought is to offer signing bonuses. With several of the biggest names in the game offering sign-on bonuses—and money being a strong motivator to start driving—this seems like a good solution. Signing bonuses aren’t a sustainable solution to the transportation talent shortage. Increasing bonuses for drivers will eventually cause freight prices to rise, which will cost these businesses their customers. Read e-book.
Symbolist
MARCH 10, 2015
Over the past few years, there has been a lot of negative press about incentives. Specifically that incentives don’t work, they are a hangover from “motivation 1.0” Incentives do a great job of focusing attention, focusing behavior and signaling what we think is valuable.
Symbolist
MAY 26, 2015
I am a fan of incentives. I’ve on record defending them when the book Drive came out 8 years ago and basically tried to shunt them into the dust bin of management and motivation ideas. Incentives are great when seeking to break behavioral inertia. Incentives are very powerful.
Ask a Manager
FEBRUARY 14, 2018
I work at an elementary school and we have several catered/potluck events through the year. It sounds like whoever coordinates these events needs to be physically present by the food and when they see him show up early, should say something like, “We’re going to open this up for everyone at noon, but not before then” and also “Please limit yourself to one plate until the second lunch shift has all been fed.”. Is there a case I can make for some kind of parting bonus?
Insperity
NOVEMBER 22, 2016
Offering a generous employee bonus program can be just the right incentive to keep highly motivated employees from looking for work elsewhere. When it comes to bonus programs, not all are created equal. Say you implement a bonus program and then realize that it is flawed – either it is too hard to attain and is causing morale to suffer, or it is too easy and the payout could cost you more than you bargained for – both scenarios can be detrimental.
Entelo
JUNE 2, 2017
The value of the employee referrals hiring channel is old hat in the recruiting world, with some companies going as far as offering exorbitant bonuses in exchange for access to their employees' networks. What seems to be the issue with cash bonuses for referrals?
HR Daily Advisor
MAY 9, 2017
Director of Reward and Recognition at pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in 2011, it was going through a transformation. Brewer and Nelson worked together to create an incentive program with many facets in order to help satisfy all four of the drives.
SnackNation
JANUARY 19, 2018
59 Awesome Employee Engagement Ideas & Activities for 2018 (Plus 10 New Bonus Ideas). Have more fun at work. HR managers can agree that employee engagement and retention are at the top of their priority list. Free bonus: Download this entire list as a PDF.
Impraise
DECEMBER 12, 2016
Traditionally money was seen as the main incentive used to motivate employees. Higher productivity results in higher salaries and bonuses. Employee engagement is not about the financial rewards you provide, it’s about the intrinsic motivators that drive people at your company. Interestingly, Gallup found that 64% of millennials who are engaged at work stated they would not leave their job, even if the job market improves.
Compensation Cafe
DECEMBER 5, 2019
It's time to accept that your job has changed from gatekeeper (limiting access to pay knowledge until employees are "ready") to educator (describing the nuts and bolts of salaries and incentives). Earlier, she was a Principal at Willis Towers Watson.
Compensation Cafe
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
He is a leading expert on incentive plan and equity compensation issues and has written several industry resources including the only resource dedicated to Performance-Based Equity Compensation. Or, follow him on Twitter at @ DanFutureSense. Imagine buying a brand new car.
Compensation Cafe
OCTOBER 2, 2019
Annual and long-term incentive plans are often not as well cared for. Just like the fact that most kids don’t grow up wishing to be a dentist, few compensation professionals aspire to be mavens of incentive plans. Yes, incentive plans can be harder than base pay.
Compensation Cafe
DECEMBER 4, 2019
Editor's Note: Because innovation is messy and irritating, and because we like to ruffle feathers here at the Cafe. An article in The Atlantic Why Experts Reject Creativity takes a close look at the bias we all have against new ways of thinking. Follow her on Twitter at @annbares.
Compensation Cafe
NOVEMBER 27, 2019
I want to thank each and everyone one of you who has taken the time to like, share or even comment on the posts here at the Café. Even more importantly I truly want to thank each of you who have sent me a note, asked me a question or just walked up to me at some industry event and said hi.
Compensation Cafe
MAY 23, 2017
wrote an article asking, “ Should You Scrap Your Long-Term Incentive Plans? ” More important, why do plans at so many companies look almost exactly like the plans at very different companies? Ships are part of the foundation that is long-term incentives.
Compensation Cafe
FEBRUARY 14, 2019
A new study, from Dan Ariely, of “ Predictably Irrational ” fame suggests that very short-term cash incentives may not be doing what we think they are doing. Ariely’s new book is “ Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations.” Or, follow him on Twitter at @ DanFutureSense.
Compensation Cafe
OCTOBER 8, 2019
Just like your teeth impact your speech your pay can impact who you hire, the kind of people you keep and whether you will succeed at all. He has three metaphors for every occasion and is a leading expert on incentive plan and equity compensation issues. Baby Teeth, Why care?
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