Page 44 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

15

Reward and
CHA P T E R 2

Recognition

Programs

Don’t Work

” Don’t worry when you are not recognized,
but strive to be worthy of recognition.”
—Abraham Lincoln

ver the past several decades, organizations
have spent literally billions of dollars creating
Oand implementing reward and recognition pro-
grams in the hopes of motivating their employees and increas-
ing morale. On the face of it, such an approach seems to make
good sense; however, in terms of return on investment, the
numbers just don’t add up. In fact, most programs intended to
motivate employees actually end up creating an overall deficit in
employee motivation. While a handful of employees may be rein-
forced, many are left feeling punished. Programs that do elicit
short-term benefits typically end up creating significant morale