Blog

Employee Appreciation Day originated more than 25 years ago. Its founder, Dr. Bob Nelson, created it to help managers acknowledge their employees and show them how valued they are at least once a year. After being celebrated for more than two decades in the workplace, the real question is, should Employee Appreciation Day be much different than any other day?

There are several ways to determine a budget for incentive and recognition programs. As employers realize that one program does not fit all, many are moving toward the trend of budgeting per program. Different “sub-audiences” in the employee population need to be acknowledged and rewarded for different results with different rule structures.

In today’s workforce, employees have greater autonomy and influence over business outcomes than ever before. The reason? Technology has changed the way we work. Interconnectedness means that organizations rely less on hierarchical structures in favor of greater collaboration. As a result, the behaviors of individuals and the ability to influence them becomes central to every organization’s success, including a dedicated strategy for encouraging and reinforcing those behaviors.

Managers find providing feedback to their employees to be one of the most challenging parts of their jobs and one which they feel the least prepared to execute well. Let’s face it, giving feedback can be incredibly difficult. Employees say they want feedback and regularly ask for it. However, they can be resistant and defensive if it is not delivered tactfully.