In today’s overload of technology, we get loads of information quickly. Because of it, the world of contests has changed. Sure the experts in the field have valuable points of view. But now more and more often, we, the people, get a say through voting. (Thanks to shows like American Idol.) It becomes less about who wins and more about whom we want to win because our opinion matters. We follow the contest as an important pastime, rooting for our favorite with a voice of influence. At the end, we may say, “Yeah, the winner was good, but my pick was better.”

Running a contest with participation is a great way to engage your core fans. It enhances brand visibility and strengthens brand loyalty.

Thank-yous definitely go a long way, but when you can show off awards and trophies in your living room or office, that’s something special.  Whether you’re honoring someone for their outstanding performance or praising someone for their goodwill, giving an award to say thanks is one of the highest expressions of gratitude.
 
While The Award Group would love to honor all recipients that receive our products, we would like to give special attention to two specifically….

 
Jon Bon Jovi recently appeared on CBS’s Person-to-Person welcoming the public into his home.  During that interview, he toured through his office and talked about his many awards, especially mentioning how proud he was to receive the SONGWRITER’S HALL OF FAME AWARD. Check out the entire CBS segment...www.cbsnews.com/8301-505383_162-57372957/person-to-person-jon-bon-jovi/ 

We would also like to honor recipients of The Annual June Briggs Awards for Excellence. The awards honor New York City’s leading businesses and individuals that have excelled in service and performance in the destination management and hospitality industries.  All the recipients deserve a round of applause; however, we’d like to give a special shout-out to David Bouley, master chef and restaurateur, who donated meals to firefighters and volunteers during 9/11. For more information about the The Annual June Briggs Awards for Excellence, visit:www.junebriggsawards.com/.

In today’s business world; raises and monetary bonuses are scarce; however you still want to reward employees for their hard work and utilizing recognition products helps you achieve this.  Recognition programs allow you to show employees their value to the company and don’t have to come with a big budget.

5 Things to keep in mind when creating an employee recognition program:

• Create an environment where employees feel valued.  Recognizing employees for their hard work and accomplishments for all to see allows the employee to know their efforts are being noticed
• Make it Easy. Create attainable goals for employees to be recognized
• Recognize in a Timely Manner. Be sure to highlight employee achievements during the month it was accomplished.
• The Recognition should be Sincere. Acknowledgement should be from a manager in front of the group goes a long way
• Budget does not need to dictate the success of the program. Whether your program is $100 or $10,000 it shows employees that the company recognizes their efforts.

The good news today is that your top employees do not have many options out in the job market, the bad news is once it opens how quickly will they go?  We are all challenged by what is happening in today’s business; however it is important not to lose sight of the value of a good employee and ensuring that you are continually recognizing their value.  As with most companies offering cash incentives are not an option; however there are additional ways to show an employee how valuable they are to the company.  We all know that one of the Top reasons a good employee leaves an organization is that they do not believe the company values their work.

Corporate Recognition Programs have been around since the start of business, it used to be that if you got a key to the executive washroom you were moving up on the corporate ladder.  Today though you need to ensure that you are making your top employees realize the value they contribute to the company.  We all remember that 1st Trophy or Medal we got and how proud we were to show it off to all of our family and friends and look at it every night and think about how good we feel about ourselves.  The same sentiment holds true today.  Employees are just big kids now who want to show off not only their accomplishments but their sense of being valued.

Here is a small list of Recognition Programs that you can start implementing today:
• Most Efficient Worker (least amount of credits, mistakes, etc)
• Best New Marketing Idea (this will benefit the company as well)
• Employee of The Month

For each category you can offer a Trophy, Plaque or even Medals that they can showcase on their desk or will hang on the wall for all to see.  Whatever your Recognition Program comes out to be make sure it is celebrated by the company and that the employee knows their value is appreciated.

Welcome to the new website of The Award Group.  The new website will focus on you, the customer and extending all of the experience and knowledge which the Award Group has gained over a combined 350+ years serving the Awards & Recognition industry.

The new website will be designed so you the customer can learn all facets for your awards and recognition needs.  This will include information on Product, including case histories, details and full gallery of custom products.  The Industry section will outline how awards and recognition products and programs relate to your specific needs.  Our Programs section, outlines the various types of recognition programs and how best to run them.

In addition to the above we will also continue to offer helpful information through our Blog, Newsletter, Whitepapers and much more.  We encourage you to continue to visit our website as well as our additional outlets (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to keep up to date on all our news.

Thank You

The Award Group