Page 50 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

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Reward and Recognition Programs Don’t Work

purposely putting in less effort so as not to be recognized! This
commonly occurs in monthly programs where the same person
wins each month and ends up becoming embarrassed. I have
also seen it occur in peer pressure situations where winning
would be viewed as “playing management’s game.” And, if win-
ning might result in a promotion—guess what?—many employ-
ees consider being promoted undesirable, especially if it requires
giving up overtime hours or having to move to another location.
So, rewards aren’t always rewarding.

Reason 3: Programs Are
Too Narrowly Focused
Programs tend to be narrowly focused on a specific goal, such as
production or sales numbers, which often leads to ignoring other
important aspects of one’s work. In fact, programs that focus on a
single target goal can actually be deleterious. For example, indi-
vidually rewarding salespeople for “hitting their numbers” may pit
employees against one another and hamper teamwork, trust, and
customer service. When production is the goal, safety and quality
often suffer. As an analogy, imagine going to the gym and for one
month exclusively working your biceps. In terms of overall health,
is that really as smart as spending your time in a more balanced
workout routine? This is not to say that one doesn’t look to focus
on areas of opportunity, but physical and organizational health
does not come from a focus on just one area.

Reason 4: Programs Focus on the
Wrong Dependent Variable
Programs nearly always focus on a single outcome measure
instead of focusing on the processes that would result in accom-
plishing the goal. As an analogy, basketball teams focus on