The entertainment industry teems with awards shows and more are likely on the way. Americans love these shows for the glamour and also to see if they agree with who is chosen to hold up the award. Another reason why people enjoy awards shows is the vicarious gratitude – it feels good to see others succeed and be recognized; it is empowering and also aspirational.
This is the reason why all your clients big and small, corporate, government, association, and retail should have some sort of recognition program. Plus, a little healthy competition among employees to receive certain awards is always a good thing; it boosts performance and morale.
Patrick Dorgan of Art Crystal Ltd., explains, “An award will never be forgotten. The achievement will be recognized and the beautiful crystal award sitting upon one’s desk or mantle will remain there proudly displayed for all to see. Gift certificates and cash awards are nice but soon forgotten. Clothing is fine for branding, however, should not be given as an award as eventually the item will wear out and be donated or disposed of. An award made with glass or optical crystal can create positive morale, as well as instill a sense of camaraderie or even competitiveness within an organization.”
Dorgan adds that awards have been increasing in numbers over the years as companies are seeking ways to keep the staff happy on the job in this highly competitive market. Now, more than ever, Dorgan emphasizes, “it has become vital to reduce turnover especially for the highly skilled employees. An award coupled with a ceremony creates a truly lasting memory for not only the recipient but for all in attendance.”
Recognition programs are highly important to retain top performing talent, agrees Dana Meyer, co-founder/partner of Visions/Awardcraft. This is becoming incredibly more difficult due to increased mobility, as American workers tend to move to other companies more quickly in their careers. One of the top reasons people cite for leaving is that their contributions were not recognized, and they were not appreciated. This, in survey after survey, tends to beat out salary and benefits.
Over the past 10 years, there have been changes in what the clients are looking for in terms of style, Meyer observes. “Clients love the more creative designs (Visions/Awardcraft designs and produces custom awards). Also, significant is the trend back toward symbolic awards,” she notes. There was a time when companies relied more upon gift cards or travel as rewards but realized that these didn’t last, she adds. Gift cards are eventually spent, and the trip becomes history once it’s over.
Kathy Linden of PCNA emphasizes that an award and recognition program is important today because so many people are doing more with fewer resources, so it is crucial for management and owners to ensure that employees are recognized throughout the year for their hard work and dedication to an organization.
Linden notes that the awards segment has evolved to include various promotional products that the recipient can use in their daily lives such as a speaker, backpack, charger or a mug. “It is a constant reminder of that recognition every time they charge their phone, listen to music or take a sip of their coffee. Especially if the imprint is an indication of the award…’President’s Club,’ ‘Achiever’s Level,’ etc.”
Planning Recognition
Because of its positive nature, mentioning an awards/recognition program will likely be met with authentic consideration – after all, what manager or owner will actually say “no” to the idea of supporting their employees (with the exception of the late Leona Helmsley). Meyer believes that distributors must “aggressively sell awards. Your clients are all using them – or should be, but few distributors ask about this part of their business.”
So when you receive the acknowledgment to move forward, says Linden, the first step is to find out what types of awards/recognition programs the client may want to put in place. For example, if it’s recognition for something like Years of Service, distributors can look for items at different price points to represent the different tiers of the award.
Dorgan elaborates, “Commonplace are recognition awards for years of service. A company will have certain levels of achievement that will coincide with an award. Typically, a company will have an award for every increment of five years of employment.”
Another consideration, Linden adds, is the number of employees who will be receiving the award. If your client is looking to recognize more than 50 people, for example, consider bundling items to place in a nice tote bag as a packaged gift.
“Regardless of the award/recognition, it’s important to keep it personal, which can be achieved through decoration,” Linden notes. “For example, by using variable data, you can customize a JournalBooks stationery piece with a note from the company president for each person receiving the award.”
Consider tradeshows. If your client exhibits at shows, awards can be handed out at a special event for sales performers or to recognize top loyal customers. Tradeshow presenters may award exhibitors as well. Some retailer shows have contests for “best in show” or “best new product.” If you can’t sign the tradeshow organization as an award client, but your customer wins one this is the perfect opener into persuading him or her to spread the good cheer by giving a recognition item for the employees who made it happen as a “thank you.”
And “thank you” is often exactly what an award conveys. Dorgan summarizes, “Awards are something to be cherished. It feels good to give the award however, it feels even better to receive the award. When someone earns that award, it is important to recognize their accomplishments and make their accolades known amongst their peers.”
CASE STUDIES
Patrick Dorgan of Art Crystal Ltd.: “We have a major energy company that has multiple divisions. It has an extremely rigorous safety program with goals that are dependent upon the division not having any sort of accident for a stretch of time. If this goal is achieved, the company has a luncheon for the staff and all are presented with a handsome optical crystal award stating the achievement.
“Another company that understands the importance of recycling presents its employees with their own personalized mug with the company logo and their name inscribed as recognition of their first full year of employment. It is a beautiful way to say, ‘welcome to our company, we are glad to have you.’ This is a much more environmentally responsible than just offering styrofoam or paper cups that will be disposed of and litter our landfills.”