Employee recognition programmes are the latest must-have in the HR tech space, and with good reason – companies are fast realising that engagement is a business imperative rather than a business function, and that engagement drives performance, while performance delivers results.
When employees are engaged and motivated, they care more. It shows in the work they produce, and in the relationships they foster with colleagues, customers and clients. It’s a rather simple equation, really.
However, not all employee recognition programmes are created equal. Remember those knock-off Tamagotchis that did the rounds in the 90s? Those were the worst, weren’t they? Well, a lacklustre recognition platform has the same vibe – you want it to do all the wonderful things you imagined it would, but instead it’s no fun to play with at all.
Here are a few of the most common problems HR professionals, ops managers and directors tend to experience when it comes to employee recognition programmes that aren’t up to snuff:
1. Difficult to implement
Systems or software that take significant time to deploy, often with delays encountered by IT departments enforcing firewalls etc. This is a major barrier for people who are already overburdened with a lot of responsibility and want to align staff with business objectives, encourage employee development and help team members to live company values in a simple, effective way.
The solve: Find a system that has been developed with ease of implementation in mind. The SaaS space is highly competitive, which means there are various versions of the same type of programme on offer, so take the time to find a solution that works with your HR tech ecosystem.
Your ideal solution should be fast, with frictionless onboarding by means of a platform that is built for the digital workplace, transforming traditional, hi-touch recognition and engagement programmes into high-impact digital experiences.
For instance, first-time users should receive an email with login details. Once on the platform, they should be steered through a quick, interactive tour of its features and functions. Within minutes you want their profiles to be set up and have them ready to engage, recognise and reward their colleagues.
Check out our YouTube channel for great content on everything from drawing up a recognition blueprint for your business, to leadership and management responsibility for effective employee engagement.
2. Tough to prove ROI
The people who are shopping around for employee recognition programmes are often not the head decisionmakers on their team. They have to prove to C-level decision makers how the benefits of an employee recognition programme will provide ROI, which can be hard when there are so many other operational expenses that take precedence.
The solve: Ask the product team of each solution you’re considering how they can prove ROI even before you book a product demo. If they can impress you, you’ll be able to impress the folks further up the food chain.
3. Not simple to customise
Most businesses are hesitant about introducing software that will add another item to their teams’ already crammed to-do lists. As such, systems that are hard to customise to suit the staffing needs of various departments are more of a hindrance than anything else.
The solve: Before using or buying something, check that it will save time and-or money in the short term for both you and your staff. Bonus points if the software also enables easier and more professional reporting.
4. Clunky to use
When it comes to employee recognition and reward, the goal is normally to enable and encourage staff development and education in a way that aligns with core business objectives and to find a simple way to improve staff morale, culture and pride.
However, if a system is difficult to use or manage, requires more time away from your desk, or isn’t attractive enough for staff to use without lots and lots of encouragement, it’s not going to do the trick.
The solve: Only ever invest in a platform that will help you and your team to reach your goals more quickly without being overly complicated and requiring a lot of training to use. Download a demo of the software to explore how it works even before you consider buying. If the provider does not allow you to do so, see it as a red flag and move on.
5. Too expensive!
Large upfront capital commitments for software can be difficult to overcome for pretty much any business. Whilst C-suite may see the value in a product, managing cash flow is always a concern and pricing is always going to be an immediate factor.
The solve: Opt for a platform that has adaptable pricing tiers, and is supported by a team who will guide you in sourcing funds and determining the appropriate budget for employee engagement/recognition and reward/continuous improvement programmes.
6. Unable to scale
When your goal is to grow your business in the medium to long term it is difficult to commit to products that can’t grow with the business at an affordable and practical rate, and rightfully so.
The solve: Pretty simple in this case – don’t sign on the dotted line unless you are absolutely sure that the platform is nimble enough to grow with you and your team.
7. Ineffectual reporting
For an employee recognition programme to be truly useful, it has to easily export reports that help you to evaluate your ROI. When this is not the case, the system becomes rather useless in business terms.
The solve: Ask the recognition programme provider about their reporting and don’t commit unless you are very impressed. Ideally, managers, administrators and super users of the platform should be able to analyse, track and report on performance recognition and engagement data, using interactive dashboard visualisations.
There you have it – 7 common problems with employee recognition programmes and how you can solve them. Check back soon for more insight into using SaaS-based HR tech to your business’ advantage. In the meantime, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for snappy, informative video content that answers some common questions about employee engagement, internal communications and more!