By Kevin J. Cronin, president, Recognition Professionals International

As the economy begins to show signs of improvement we are seeing employers waking and realizing they need to make sure their employees feel engaged and valued.

Companies are starting to give raises, restore matching 401(k) contributions and starting to fund more dollars for recognition and reward programs.  It is imperative that we as leaders in the industry ensure these programs are well designed but also have a measurement of ROI built into the process as well.

There is a rise in the need for wellness programs to not only help employees get healthier but also help drive down the cost of health care premiums that companies and employees share in paying together. I think we will see more evolution and creativity in this space as businesses get creative how they can help contain rising health care costs.

Technology can be a key driver to ensure programs operate more efficiently and effectively.  More companies will realize the value of harnessing a “Facebook” social networking in their approach to actively engage more of their workforce.  We will see more of an approach that leverages “Games” to drive behaviors and activities as the Gen X and Y workers take over the workforce.

Remember that at the end of the day an employee wants their manager to give personal recognition and not just receive it via email.  Technology can be a great enabler to remind managers of important recognition events, but cannot be a substitute for real recognition.

As the workforce evolves it is critical that the Incentive Industry keep ahead of this changing workforce and have programs that cater to multi generations but that have an environmental offerings as well as creative solutions.

One of the best ways to ensure your programs are being perceived well is to listen and ask your employees continuously how you can improve them.  Invite them to be part of the process and you will have success in 2011 and beyond.

About the Author:
Kevin oversees Rideau’s client implementation solutions. He is also currently serving as Recognition Professionals International’s President, a non-profit association of executives focused on recognition in the workplace. Kevin has been a previous featured speaker at World at Work, Recognition Professionals International and Society Human Resource Management and HR Leadership Alliance’s Annual Congress in London. Previously Kevin was the Recognition and Reward Executive for Bank of America. In that role, he led the successful design, implementation, delivery and management of recognition and reward programs globally for 200,000+ associates. Prior to this, he served as a Region Executive in the Consumer bank and also a senior human resource manager for Bank of America. Kevin earned a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and business from Loyola University in New Orleans.

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