You can’t give all employees promotions, bonuses, or raises. Social recognition, however, can be applied to all. In perhaps a worst-case scenario, promotions are little more than title changes in which the employee’s job duties change little if at all with no pay increase. It’s not a positive experience for the employee. But let’s be realistic about recent trends – at most, the majority of employees are receiving the equivalent of cost-of-living increases. MORE

How does this impact the way we think about total rewards in an annual (or even quarterly) bonus structure? As we learned from Teresa Amabile’s “ Progress Principle ” work several years ago: “We found that the most important indicators on employee engagement [were] not things that most managers think about. Timely rewards indicate to people both of these factors – that the work they are doing is meaningful, valuable, and worthy of recognition. MORE

Editor's Note: Today's Classic features Derek Irvine with some data and insights about the importance of employee engagement - even (and some might argue especially) in a union environment. The reality of unions is they came into existence to protect employees where company leadership refused to. Regardless of industry or job role, unions rose up to defend employee interests, even the most basic such as the right to survive a day’s work. MORE

Why do some recognition programs take off with widespread adoption, while others struggle to gain traction or make an impact? The problem is not that some work cultures don’t need recognition – appreciation is a basic human need. One challenge many companies face is that executives, and sometimes even HR leaders, perceive recognition as a cost as opposed to an investment. What about “free recognition” or “e-thanks”? Check out the e-books Annual Bonus, Annual Waste? MORE

Why do we compensate employees? But compensation professionals (and readers of this blog) know the pay cheque is but one part of a very complex agreement between employer and employee to maximize a mutually beneficial relationship. Career-change opportunities within the company to keep employees on board while diversifying capabilities. Not all employees are suited for internal career changes, even when those opportunities exist. MORE

To be a good leader for your employees, one needs to be rich with your praise, cheer them on, love to watch them grow and be excited about their success. You need to love to give bonuses. And that’s the major challenge, and risk — keeping the “middle 70” engaged and motivated… Everyone in the middle 70 needs to be motivated, and made to feel as if they truly belong.”. Above-and-beyond bonuses available to any level of employee. MORE

“People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition praise and rewards.” This week’s curated articles will get you thinking more about employee recognition and its link back to productivity, retention and more. 1) Trends in Employee Recognition from HR Trend Institute Employee recognition programs, once considered a “nice” but non-essential component of human resources, have changed dramatically over the past five years. MORE

Healthcare HR and Employee Retention: 6 Key Factors to Consider Nov. One of the largest growing concerns among employers across all industries is retaining high-performing and high-potential employees. In fact, 46 percent of HR professionals cite employee retention/turnover as the top workforce management challenge in 2016, an increase from 25 percent in 2012. signing bonus) and offering new job perks,” the report s states. Staff Recognition. MORE