We here at Incentive have enjoyed the opportunities that the Perk has offered, allowing us to chat with readers about boosting performance and loyalty, and receive feedback about the industry and our coverage. But as we begin 2009 and focus our efforts toward some exciting new products and opportunities, it seems a good time to close this chapter of our brand as we begin another.

Please keep an eye out for Incentive’s new offerings in upcoming weeks and months at www.incentivemag.com, and continue sending your comments and questions to feedback@incentivemag.com.

Sincerely,

Incentive

We have an on-site day care and parents usually go down on their lunch hour to check in, but I have a few staffers who go down every 30 minutes. How do I handle this? They are good employees and are productive but the purpose of on-site day care is for convenience not bonding. Any thoughts?
 
--Vivian, Fresno, CA

Dear Vivian,

Figuring approximately 15 minutes per visit and leaving every 30 minutes to visit could equate to 4 hours of lost work per day. That’s a lot of loss! You mentioned they are productive now, but think of how much more productive your department would be with that added time. 

First I would ask what is your company policy on the number of visits employees are allowed per day? If you have not developed a written policy for this, now is the time to do it. And while you are developing this policy, add in a section for flexibility. One option would be that if an employee wishes to visit over and above the amount allowed, each additional visit would add a set number of hours and/or minutes to that employee’s workday.

INCENTIVE online columnist Christi L. Gibson, the executive director of Recognition Professionals International, formerly known as National Association for Employee Recognition (NAER), has been with RPI since 2001, and has been published in newspapers and periodicals and interviewed on both ABC and FOX News. She can be reached via e-mail at Christi@recognition.org.

Work-walking should really be categorized as a skill, perhaps even worthy of mention on a résumé?! Considering that the worker must master the art of multi-tasking—talking on the phone and walking, reading and walking, writing and walking, typing and walking, even performing quick maneuvers while striding backwards in order to talk to a colleague or boss. Although it sounds as if it belongs more appropriately in The Office and not the real-life workplace, the article sights that a work-walker can shed approximately 100 to 130 calories per hour going at speeds slower than two miles an hour. 

It is common knowledge that people tend to put on weight around the holidays. Between over-eating and stressing out about budgets and gift buying, the subsequent effects of weight gain ripple effect onto companies who often foot the medical bills if they offer employee health coverage. The popular medical online reference Web site, WebMD, cites that in a report published in Circulation, researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Tufts University Medical School found that the number of cardiac deaths is higher on Dec. 25 than any other day of the year, followed by Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. Undoubtedly, health coverage must be in full use around this time of year, much to the detriment of companies. So how would investing in a product such as the Workstation actually boost a company’s overall performance and lower their costs?

For one, employees who do not have the personal time, or who are somewhat physically lethargic outside the office, can accomplish two goals in one—exercising while working—and by some accounts, become even more productive.

The article notes that some walk-workers, such as Terri Krivosha, 49, a partner in the law firm of Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, say that work-walking is particularly helpful because it improves attentiveness and concentration during conference calls. “Walking just takes care of the A.D.D. part,” Krivosha says in the article.

If a worker is more focused, productivity should naturally rise as well. If a worker feels physically healthy, this is likely to reflect on their attitude, enabling them to better focus on their work instead of being preoccupied with bodily insecurities or physical ailments. And finally, when an employee is content and in better physical form, in addition to being more productive, they are less likely to fall ill and need medical assistance, keeping costs down for the company in spite of a steep, initial $4000 investment for the workstation.

As a journalist, I’m not used to traveling in style. Unless by 'style,' you mean a super-prime seat in ultra-luxurious coach, with a connection or two, and a sleepless red-eye flight thrown in about once a year for good measure.

So my latest journeys on behalf of Incentive magazine have been a revelation, and a relief. In our recessionary times, I expected to find travel no more indulgent than my usual “style,” and I had a fear that despite still sending workers on incentive trips as rewards for superior performance, companies were cutting back by cutting out the first class tickets. Well, I have to tell you, I hope it doesn’t come to that—no matter how financially life and death business gets. What’s an incentive trip, after all, if the journey to the destination is full of misery and woe?

Since misery and woe wasn’t what you were aiming for, I’d like to persuade you of the importance of comfortable transportation—as an integral part of every incentive trip.

I’ll start with my Oct. 15-23 trip to Britain. At first the scenario looked bleak. My press trip’s gracious organizers, Visit London and VisitBritain, informed me that I was booked on British Airways’ World Traveler Plus (fancy economy essentially) on the way there and just plain World Traveler on the way home, but that they had put me on the list for an upgrade. Accustomed, as all us peasants are, to over-booked flights, I held little hope of an upgrade. My negative attitude usually helps keep disappointment at bay on my travels, but this time it wasn’t necessary—I was upgraded both ways to the airline’s flat bed business class section. Given that my flight there was a red-eye with a (very) full next day planned in London, I was much better off than I would have been in an economy class seat (no matter how much better they are than our paltry U.S. airline coach accommodations). In addition to the novelty of being able to lie down (especially critical given that I still haven’t mastered the art of sleeping sitting up), I savored the warm chocolate chip cookies and whip cream-topped hot chocolate at bedtime. I could have opted for a more serious, adult meal of some kind of fancy salad-or-other, but thought the childish menu route more soothing. “Breakfast in Bed” the next morning got me off to a good start. I was still grumpy from spending the night in an airplane, but as I said, infinitely better than I would have been in more measly circumstances.

My argument on behalf of ultra-comfortable transportation on incentive trips isn’t limited to air travel, by the way. I also think, if you’re sufficiently impressed with an employee’s performance, to send him/her on an intended-to-be-indulgent trip, you ought to pony up the added cash for the best train seat possible when locomotive travel is part of the experience. In my (lucky) case, BritRail treated me to a first class seat on my journey from London to Manchester, which, as you can guess by now, I was extremely grateful for (partly, to be honest, because I needed the extra space to store my enormous suitcase). As it wasn’t a crowded train, I had a table and four seats all to myself!  And delightful men who periodically checked to make sure I didn’t want any tea, coffee, biscuits, or cookies. Sure beats our Amtrak, in which nobody ever offered me anything, let alone biscuits.

Beyond air and train, even common place car rides shouldn’t be common on a classy incentive trip. Instead of leaving me to languish in a sweaty, irritable cab line at Heathrow, for instance, Visit London arranged for Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services to pick me up (or “collect” me, as the Brits say). My driver not only deposited me safely at the London Hilton Park Lane, but acted, with no nagging from me, as a tour guide, even detouring at one point to show me Royal Albert Hall. Unfortunately (and this is embarrassing to admit, but all true), I was too lazy at the airport to exchange any portion of my modest allotment of American cash into British currency, so I wasn’t able to tip him. But, like a true sport, he didn’t complain.

Then, on my last day in London, to get me from the Hilton to Euston station for my train ride to Manchester, I was transported by the Green Tomato taxi service, a fleet of environmentally friendly Toyota Prius cars. They’re probably more comfortable than your average taxi, and for companies with corporate social responsibility initiatives about making the environment greener rather than even dirtier, it’s a nice addition to the schedule. It shows you’re so forward thinking and organized you’re staying on message even in the midst of indulgence.

Next, I have to tell you about my great Australian transportation experience—well, actually, New Zealand, if you want to be technical about it. On another press trip, from Oct .29-Nov. 5 to Sydney, I was treated to a flat bed on Air New Zealand’s Business Premier, complete with gourmet meals and wine, a personal entertainment system with my own television, and access to the Business Premier lounges in Los Angeles and Auckland, where we made a very comfortable connection onto Sydney (shopping included in the Auckland airport). The airline is promoting the fact that it offers connections to seven cities in Australia, and judging from the relatively good mood I arrived and departed from Sydney with, I’d say they’re entitled to do so.

Then, of course, you can’t neglect the off-the-beaten path transportation experiences that can be a nice added surprise to your group’s itinerary. That’s just what it was when I found myself on a Venice, Italy-style gondola boat on my way to lunch on the day of the Melbourne Cup horse race. A bus or car would have been more efficient, but the novelty (especially in Sydney) of a gondola boat ride spiced up our day, as did the helicopter ride we were surprised with in Queensland on our way from the Australia Zoo to the Spirit House Thai restaurant. 

It’s like I always say: If you’re going to go, go in style.

In an article published by the AP in www.crainsnewyork.com, the agency reports that in the midst of the toughest economic times in memory, companies are significantly scaling back their employee gift budgets. Even with record-high layoffs, most companies that still plan on giving their employees gifts (29 percent as of October versus 46 percent as of August, according to a survey by the American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor), most are seeking out items at lower price points. In some ways wouldn’t it be more cheerful news to know that the money spent on corporate gifts could instead be applied to saving one more job? Perhaps this could curb the “Happy Holidays, here’s a little gift to you,” given to some, and “Happy Holidays, here’s a little pink slip for you,” to unlucky others.

The article uses 74-year-old Manhattan wine and spirits shop, Sherry-Lehmann, as an example of how frugal some companies are becoming. Many of the shop’s corporate customers—including law firms, real estate companies and Wall Street firms—are no longer opting for the uber-expensive bottles of champagne, but rather are selecting more modestly priced spirits and wines in the $15 to $30 range.

Of course there are always exceptions—and luxury goods fall within the realm. Luxury French chocolatier, La Maison du Chocolat, just opened a new boutique on Wall Street last Friday. According to the chocolate house’s president and CEO, Geoffroy D’Anglejan-Chatillon, sales at their Madison Avenue boutique are going strong and they expect the same for their newest Wall Street store. This opening should not be viewed as anything other than wonderful news, for everyone! Most people undeniably feel a bit stressed and perhaps borderline-depressed from watching the market’s dizzying fluctuations. And what is a better remedy for depression and stress than a mouthwatering ganache?

Corporate clients of Tumi, an upscale luggage company, are buying fewer items, but appear to be ordering more expensive ones, according to the AP article. This exemplifies the practical wisdom of quality over quantity—unfortunately, it also means that for a number of employees at those companies, they may not be receiving a holiday gift. The back-to-basics approach should also serve as a reminder that gifts, and loads of them, should not define the holiday.

Retailers, however, must be praying that the spirit of goodwill and good tidings surrounding the holidays translate into sales. But it appears that the current economic environment is causing even Santa Claus to tighten his belt and buckle down production on the North Pole, at least for this holiday season.

Little did I know when I drew the winning horse in the five-dollar category of a random Melbourne Cup horse race sweeps I would get a glimpse of what a great buy Australia is. Sure, the plane ride (especially if your incentive winners are lucky enough to fly business or first class) will cost you, but once you get Down Under, there are savings to be had on nearly everything else.

During my trip to Australia, from Oct. 29 through Nov. 5, 2008, the American dollar was nearly twice as strong as the Aussie dollar. I’m no international financier, and as a journalist, my personal budget is generally too small (even with a favorable exchange rate) to count on shopping. That’s where my beginner’s luck Melbourne Cup winnings of $65 dollars came in handy. I wouldn’t get as much for my money back home (especially given that I live in New York City), so why not spend it all in Australia? So I fought my frugal impulses and spent all of it in the Brisbane Airport.

Based on my experience back home, I was thinking maybe it would buy me a nice scarf, or perhaps a not-so-precious piece of costume jewelry. Happily, it went a little further than that—to include a large bag and separate pouch featuring an Aborigine design along with a leather wallet the tag said was actually made by an Aborigine designer. The final tally at checkout revealed that I only needed to contribute $10 Aussie dollars beyond my Melbourne Cup winnings—not bad considering how much I would have paid at home---$150, $200…who knows.

Given that you don’t typically see Australian Aborigine designed wears at the local American shopping mall, it’s hard to do a scientific, apples-to-apples (or should I say handbag-to-handbag) comparison, but I believe I rest my case.

The blog post points out that some donors (especially those who were asked for donations just the weekend before the election) may take an issue with the decision to donate these gifts to campaign workers. Obama’s campaign donations shattered records by raking in more than $600 million over the course of the primary and general election combined, according to a New York Times article. Under the Federal Election Committee rules, Obama can save the leftover donations for his next campaign, but is prohibited from using the money for personal use. While he would be wise to save the donations for his next campaign, in some ways his decision regarding the phones and laptops is key to reinforcing loyalty. These items have already depreciated in value, and are therefore worth more to those who have been using them over the past several months than to someone who would buy them back.

Anyone in the incentive industry should also understand the potential ROI from Obama’s decision. He used the element of surprise, which always adds to the meaningfulness of a reward. The gratitude he displayed toward his staff was publicly displayed, (naturally anything involving either Obama or McCain’s campaign is under media and public scrutiny). In some ways he also contributed to boosting the economy slightly by giving his employees a little bit of extra cash while they seek new jobs. In addition, Obama cemented his staff’s loyalty by giving them just one more reason to align with him as many of them seek jobs in the new administration, in public offices across the nation, or just as his supporters when the next election season rolls around.

Prevent a client fiasco by always keeping the following in mind:

Never present undeliverables. Be careful on a site inspection if you decide whether or not to show an end-user client something that is not available for the time period that their incentive program will be operating. It doesn't matter how cool it is or how new it is. If it isn't available, be careful. Better yet, don't show it at all! They may only remember it and demand that the earth move and time stand still until it becomes available. I learned that one the hard way about 20 years ago, and I've included the example in my sales training sessions ever since. If one thing holds true in this industry, it is that human nature rules. People see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear and remember it the way they want it to be. We are all the same in that respect. And we usually always want what we can’t have.

Never assume a client can’t afford something.  If an option is creative enough and has the “wow factor,” you would be surprised how flexible a client’s budget can become.  I am not saying this as a suggestion on how to get a bigger program billing, but rather as an important safety tip. Once while operating a successful incentive quality event in conjunction with a major national convention, our customer saw a competitor’s program in operation with an extravagant show-stopping finale. They looked at me and asked, “Why didn’t you offer our group that option?”  I answered that it wasn’t in their budget. WRONG ANSWER!!! My client said (and I’ll never forget these words), “If it’s something really great, I’ll find the money.” Meanwhile I was humiliated to see the customer covetous of their competitors program. That’s one mistake I’ll never make again. It is easy enough to say “this is really pricy but it would be a show stopper if we did XYZ.”  It’s always better to be safe than sorry in this business.

Never assume a client speaks English. As it turns out, a lot gets lost in transaltion, even between those who supposedly speak English. For more on this important tip, visit Incentivemag.com to read my latest Incentive Encounters column.

INCENTIVE online columnist and Chief Executive Officer of USA Hosts, Ltd., Terry Epton has been an executive in the incentive industry for 26 years. As past Chairman of the Board for The New Orleans CVB, Terry is deeply involved in marketing and hospitality Industry leadership of New Orleans. Twice President of ADME, the Association of Destination Management Executives and long time member of SITE, Terry served on the Society's International Board for two terms and as an officer for four years. Mr. Epton is a Trustee on the IRF, Incentive Research Foundation. Terry was named "Incentive Travel Personality of the Year" in 1999. With both the Certified Incentive Travel Executive (CITE) designation and the Destination Management Certified Professional (DMCP) designation, Mr. Epton believes strongly in on-going industry education and community involvement.

Debbie Wilson of Fort Worth Community Credit Union correctly identified Sandpear Resort in Clearwater, Florida in our last issue. Congratulations!

Times are tough, and so are corporate budgets. But rather than canceling the company holiday party this year, which can have a detrimental effect on employee morale and motivation, try a fun low-cost and creative alternative. Remember: Recognition is free, and can be more valuable and motivating than money. For example, handing out funny awards to employees is a low-cost way to celebrate co-worker success and bring laughter into the workplace.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Funny Employee Awards Ideas:

1. The Heinz Ketchup Award for always making others wait
2. The Jeff Gordon Award for racing away from work the fastest
3. The Deer in the Headlights Award for most confused
4. The Loch Ness Award for least likely to be found
5. The American Express Award for always taking credit
6. The Bermuda Triangle Award for the desk where things go in but never come out
7. The Human Vulture Award for eating anything found lying around
8. The Baryshnikov Award for most skill in dancing around the issues
9. The Global Warming Award for polluting the atmosphere with hot air
10. The Casual Monday–Friday Award for continually pushing the limits of “business attire”

And visit Incentivemag.com for best practices on how to design and host your own Funny Employee Awards Ceremony at your company this year.

Larry Weaver is a professional comedian and author of "Funny Employee Awards, Your Complete Guide to Organizing a Humorous, Entertaining and Rewarding Recognition Ceremony."