29th January 2009 - www.peoplemanagement.co.uk

It’s often thought that motivation of staff in the US is streets ahead of that in the UK. It’s perhaps true that there is a more established motivation industry, but it might be fairer to say that the cultures of the countries are so different they require different solutions.

That said, there are a number of factors that both countries have in common. While there are different methods for motivating employees, an important challenge lies in creating a programme that is bespoke to the organisation and aligned with its core company values and corporate image. Ideally that corporate image will permeate throughout a programme in order that staff immediately recognise who is rewarding them and why, and then understand the value of engaging with company objectives.

Equally, a reward and recognition programme should be designed to appeal to the individuals that a company seeks to motivate and engage - its staff. Rewards must be aspirational, desirable and, importantly, targeted to the complete cross section of employees within an organisation. So how can you offer employees appealing rewards that toe the corporate line?

Branded merchandise is one solution, but there is an obvious line to be drawn between giving an employee a designer watch with the company logo emblazoned across it and allowing the message to slip by totally unnoticed with a gift that has no obvious “Rewards must be aspirational, desirable and importantly, targeted” connection to the organisation at all.

But how popular is offering employees the option of having a company logo branded on to their reward? Our research reveals that, when offered, less than 3% of UK employees decide to take this option. In the US the number is slightly higher, but still under 5%.

So we still have a problem tailoring a reward and recognition solution so that it will promote company values and also please the recipient.

A concept that is very popular in the US is a reward pack that can he presented to the employee in front of colleagues after a few words of appreciation from the boss. A pack will typically contain an official certificate, a letter of thanks from a senior member of staff and a gift card or access code to redeem a further reward, all of which wifi be personalised and fully branded. The employee can redeem a desirable gift of their choice, such as a DVD player, watch, kitchenware etc. that will not be branded, but also a branded memento from the company that can be kept as a permanent reminder of their achievement.

The branded presentation pack adds tremendous value to the reward, giving it a more official nature while promoting the company ethos. On top of all this, the member of staff still receives a desirable new gift. The communication is branded while the reward is not - the perfect solution to the branding issue.

Ultimately, while the methods of delivery might differ between the US and Europe, the purpose of motivational gifts is still the same. Now that a technique is available that allows branding without devaluing high- priced items, perhaps we might start to see more consistency between the two areas.

www.peoplemanagement.co.uk