What motivates today's employees?

• Author: Nelson, Bob
• Position: Rewarding Employees

Editor's Note: This is the second of o three-port series on employee recognition.

Recognition efforts are lagging behind shifts in employee preferences. This is happening for several reasons. First, companies look backward to "what we've done," thus making their evaluation of programs historical, rather than current, and without attempting to determine existing employee preferences. This is to say, companies tend to be reactive rather than responsive to what motivates today's employees. Companies try to change or improve things only when there is overwhelming evidence that what they're doing is not working. If other organizations are continuing with similar formal recognition programs, the company perpetuates these programs, even as they become stale, stagnant and irrelevant.

Second, the $27-billion-plus incentive industry, with its focus on moving merchandise and promoting expanded expenditures on existing recognition programs, has not helped the situation much. The incentive market has lagged behind the reality of what's really important to employees today. It is more focused on continuing to move and customize merchandise, awards and plaques, not necessarily on motivating employees or enhancing performance. Once a program has been budgeted, it is easy for an organization to continue funding it year after year--and difficult to stop and reassess if the monies am being spent wisely or even if there is any return at all.

Third, the fact that employee values and expectations have changed has amplified the disconnect that exists today. Today's employees expect to have more meaning in their jobs from their first day of work. The want more involvement in their jobs, more thanks when they do good work, more flexibility in their working hours, and more balance in their work and personal lives. Recognition practices have not kept up with these changed...