Designing Effective Employee Reward Programs

When it comes to rewards, one size doesn’t fit all. Reward programs need to be tailored to meet the specific needs of the recipients. What might be rewarding to one person may seem like punishment to another. Therefore, it is very important to understand what is reinforcing or not to the employees you want to reward. Expert Peter Garber will present a classic ABC (Antecedent-Behavior-Consequences) Behavioral Model and review different types of consequences as they relate to rewards, including positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and schedules of reinforcement. You will also explore specific examples that illustrate why the reward sponsor’s goals failed to reach their intended objectives and how the situation could be corrected.

Throughout the webinar, you will take a look at setting reward goals, finding the right measures for rewards, rewards not meeting expectations, reward design factors, managing reward programs, measuring the effectiveness of your current reward programs, the value of your reward programs, and understanding the potential consequences of the reward not given.

Peter will also present a matrix of nine types of rewards, illustrating how different types of rewards achieve different results. A common problem with many employee reward programs today is a lack of understanding of these differences. For example, an organization may sponsor an annual holiday party, expecting a certain amount of employee appreciation as a result. However, it is important to understand that this type of reward will most likely not motivate employees to work harder or be less likely to leave the company. This is not to say that a holiday party isn’t important, as it provides a maintenance reward factor that employees learn to expect to be provided by their employer, and without this form of reward, they would feel a sense of loss. The matrix provides examples of other types of rewards, some of which are designed to directly motivate employees or recognize their significant achievements. Understanding these distinctions and applications of these nine types of rewards can help organizations more effectively design and balance their overall employee reward programs with better results in the future. You will also be introduced to the concept of developing a reward scorecard using an example to help organizations understand how to achieve this balance.

The program concludes with a list of 47 unconventional ways to reward employees to help organizations think more creatively about providing rewards. Often, it is the most unexpected reward that can be the most effective.