Choosing a great trophy or plaque to represent your company and recoginise employees is the first part in creating your award. Ensuring you have effective engraving and an aesthetically pleasing layout, font and design is also key. The engraving can completely change the look and feel of your trophies and plaques, ensuring you achieve the desired impression means finding an awards maker who has experience or qualified graphic designers onsite.
The first thing to consider is the text itself. All the important and relevant details must be present; the recipient, what they are being recognised for and the date are obvious must haves. The recipients name is the most important part of the engraving, so this must be done i na larger and bolder font. What they are reciving the award for is also paramount. The whole point of presenting trophies or plaques is to reward and reinforce a certain behaviour, thus it is very important to make it clear exactly what one achieved. Where possible, be as accurate as possible; specify exact sales numbers or milestones.
Appropriate fonts should be used that complement your company branding, livery and values. Often companies will have branding guidelines that must be adhered to as well. These can often be quite involved with pages of documentation. Ensure your trophy or plaques supplier has qualified staff who can create the artwork to specification.
Secondly the overall layout is also key. The positioning of the logo, text and the sizes and proportions of each element of the design must be put together properly to create the desired look. Graphic designers are trained in knowing what layouts and proportions are best, as well as knowledge of appropriate fonts and layouts. They can also add additional design elements to add to the appearance of the trophy or plaque. Things such as floral accents or lines can be used to space out content clearly and add asthetic value to your trophies and plaques.
With the above in mind, always ensure your trophy or plaque supplier provides you with a proof before they go to print. You can always pass this past any designers in your company or people with a good eye to ensure you get the most from your engraving. Visit Xpress Awards NZ for some examples of well designed engraving and printing onto trophies and plaques.
Wednesday 17 October 2012
Wednesday 25 July 2012
Using trophies to improve business performance
With the economy looking challenging for the next few years it is imperative that businesses ensure their most valuable asset is generating great returns. In most businesses, employees are the most important factor in generating sales and producing quality service and products. Having a highly engaged workforce is thus paramount to success, a disengaged workforce can be extremely costly. Trophies and plaques are a great way to boost engagement levels in the workforce. Having a recognition programme boost engagement through three components; a performance based culture, a teamwork based culture, and through employee respect and appreciation.
Creating a performance culture is all about about settings goals and targets for your teams to achieve. Trophies and plaques are a great way to motivate and reward teams for meeting targets. Is is best to have a regular programme, at least monthly, to ensure regular reinforcement.by breaking larger goals into smaller sizable chunks. Such a programme could have regular trophy presentations for meeting monthly targets, and a larger overall trophy for meeting end of year targets. Alternatively you could maintain one large plaque on the wall which has the goal divided into monthly targets. Each month this can be updated with achievements and winners names.
Teamwork is another important aspect which is closely related to performance culture. Presenting awards, trophies or plaques to teams as well as individuals can improve morale and boost cooperation within teams to achieve common goals. Another method is to have a large trophy or plaque for each team, and each team nominates an individual each month to recieve the team member of the month award. This can motivate other team members and essentially create a performance culture within a specific team, this can then spread through the rest of the company.
Lastly recogniton and respect for employees can boost business performance. We all like to be recognised and to feel we make a difference. Receiving trophies or plaques is one way to formally thank and recognise employees for a job well done. By reinforcing these behaviours you ensure that poeple are more likely to keep giving their best in the future, as we all strive for more reinforcement. Outstanding individual performance can help teams meet targets, which will boost team morale which can then lead to a performance culture throughout the whole organisation.
As you can see these three factors are all interlinked. The great thing about trophies and plaques is that they will affect all three factors in one go. A once monthly presentation of trophies and plaques is enough to boost performance, teamwork and employee wellbeing. With this in mind it is easy to see how an employee recognition programme is an essential investment to make in ensuring a productive and engaged workforce. Visit Xpress Awards for some professional corporate trophy and plaque designs.
Creating a performance culture is all about about settings goals and targets for your teams to achieve. Trophies and plaques are a great way to motivate and reward teams for meeting targets. Is is best to have a regular programme, at least monthly, to ensure regular reinforcement.by breaking larger goals into smaller sizable chunks. Such a programme could have regular trophy presentations for meeting monthly targets, and a larger overall trophy for meeting end of year targets. Alternatively you could maintain one large plaque on the wall which has the goal divided into monthly targets. Each month this can be updated with achievements and winners names.
Teamwork is another important aspect which is closely related to performance culture. Presenting awards, trophies or plaques to teams as well as individuals can improve morale and boost cooperation within teams to achieve common goals. Another method is to have a large trophy or plaque for each team, and each team nominates an individual each month to recieve the team member of the month award. This can motivate other team members and essentially create a performance culture within a specific team, this can then spread through the rest of the company.
Lastly recogniton and respect for employees can boost business performance. We all like to be recognised and to feel we make a difference. Receiving trophies or plaques is one way to formally thank and recognise employees for a job well done. By reinforcing these behaviours you ensure that poeple are more likely to keep giving their best in the future, as we all strive for more reinforcement. Outstanding individual performance can help teams meet targets, which will boost team morale which can then lead to a performance culture throughout the whole organisation.
As you can see these three factors are all interlinked. The great thing about trophies and plaques is that they will affect all three factors in one go. A once monthly presentation of trophies and plaques is enough to boost performance, teamwork and employee wellbeing. With this in mind it is easy to see how an employee recognition programme is an essential investment to make in ensuring a productive and engaged workforce. Visit Xpress Awards for some professional corporate trophy and plaque designs.
Tuesday 24 July 2012
Why recognise success in business
Below is a great article from Recognition is Rewarding on the importance of presenting trophies and plaques in business settings.
Peter B. Grazier, author of the article, Starving for Recognition: Understanding Recognition and the seven Recognition Do's and Don'ts, believes at times people have a tendency to underestimate the importance of recognition. "We just don't seem to thank people enough," he notes. "However, a few years ago, I came across a Harris Poll of several thousand workers that asked, 'What 2 or 3 things do you want most in a job,' The first three more frequent answers were: 1) a good salary; 2) Job security; 3) recognition for a job well done.
Recognition is important because it sends a powerful message that the recipient is important. It says the organization cares about good performance.
While recognition programs contribute to employee satisfaction, they also serve as company communication tool that reinforces and rewards the direction of a company. According to Susan M. Healthfield, About.com, "When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce with your chosen means of recognition, the action and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate and powerfully reinforcing."
The most successful businesses or associations are the ones that have reward and recognition programs in place to acknowledge excellence on a regular basis. Whether it's a formal or informal program, studies show tangible awards - trophies, plaques, ribbons, medals and other personalized items - have proven to be the most effective way to give recognition, even better than money or gifts.
Historically, praise and recognition in the workplace have been handled from the perspective of, "If you don't hear anything, assume you're doing a good job." In contrast to this old industrial mindset, the new knowledge based worker relies and depends upon praise and recognition as means of defining what is valued by the organization. Today, praise and recognition are communication vehicles for what is deemed as important.
In the corporate world, recognition is used for one reason: to drive more business. While it may sound mercenary to some, it's a reality. Corporations cannot service if they do not make money. Shareholders demand it. Workers demand it. Suppliers demand it. And since costs keep rising every year, and workers and shareholders want to be paid more every year, the company must make more money every year. Thus, your employee recognition culture must recognize people for doing their jobs a little better today than they did them yesterday.
And while every company has its unique motives for affecting this behavior, incentives are typically given to:
Gostick and Elton, Managing with Carrots
The orignal article can be found at : http://recognitionisrewarding.com/why-recognize-corporate.cfm
Peter B. Grazier, author of the article, Starving for Recognition: Understanding Recognition and the seven Recognition Do's and Don'ts, believes at times people have a tendency to underestimate the importance of recognition. "We just don't seem to thank people enough," he notes. "However, a few years ago, I came across a Harris Poll of several thousand workers that asked, 'What 2 or 3 things do you want most in a job,' The first three more frequent answers were: 1) a good salary; 2) Job security; 3) recognition for a job well done.
Recognition is important because it sends a powerful message that the recipient is important. It says the organization cares about good performance.
While recognition programs contribute to employee satisfaction, they also serve as company communication tool that reinforces and rewards the direction of a company. According to Susan M. Healthfield, About.com, "When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce with your chosen means of recognition, the action and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate and powerfully reinforcing."
The most successful businesses or associations are the ones that have reward and recognition programs in place to acknowledge excellence on a regular basis. Whether it's a formal or informal program, studies show tangible awards - trophies, plaques, ribbons, medals and other personalized items - have proven to be the most effective way to give recognition, even better than money or gifts.
Historically, praise and recognition in the workplace have been handled from the perspective of, "If you don't hear anything, assume you're doing a good job." In contrast to this old industrial mindset, the new knowledge based worker relies and depends upon praise and recognition as means of defining what is valued by the organization. Today, praise and recognition are communication vehicles for what is deemed as important.
In the corporate world, recognition is used for one reason: to drive more business. While it may sound mercenary to some, it's a reality. Corporations cannot service if they do not make money. Shareholders demand it. Workers demand it. Suppliers demand it. And since costs keep rising every year, and workers and shareholders want to be paid more every year, the company must make more money every year. Thus, your employee recognition culture must recognize people for doing their jobs a little better today than they did them yesterday.
And while every company has its unique motives for affecting this behavior, incentives are typically given to:
- Reach company or departmental goals or objectives
- Recognize outstanding achievements
- Boost morale
- Increase productivity and profit margins
- Increase profits an drive more business; and / or
- Keep good employees
Gostick and Elton, Managing with Carrots
The orignal article can be found at : http://recognitionisrewarding.com/why-recognize-corporate.cfm
Wednesday 6 June 2012
How employee recognition can improve business
Recognition is rewarding for business as it sends a powerful message that the recipient is important. It says the comapny cares when people put their best efforts into their work.
While recognition programs contribute to employee satisfaction, they also serve as company communication tool that reinforces and rewards the direction of a company. According to Susan M. Healthfield, About.com, "When you recognize people effectively, you reinforce with your chosen means of recognition, the action and behaviors you most want to see people repeat. An effective employee recognition system is simple, immediate and powerfully reinforcing."
The most successful businesses or associations are the ones that have reward and recognition programs in place to acknowledge excellence on a regular basis. Whether it's a formal or informal program, studies show tangible awards - trophies, plaques, ribbons, medals and other personalized items - have proven to be the most effective way to give recognition, even better than money or gifts.
Modern workers rely and depend upon reward and recognition as a means of defining what is valued by the organization. Appreciation and recognition are used to communicate to employees behaviours that are valued by a company, and can increase employee behaviours that contribute to company mission and vision statements.
In the corporate world, recognition is used for one reason: to drive more business. While it may sound mercenary to some, it's a reality. Corporations cannot service if they do not make money. Shareholders demand it. Workers demand it. Suppliers demand it. And since costs keep rising every year, and workers and shareholders want to be paid more every year, the company must make more money every year. Thus, your employee recognition culture must recognize people for doing their jobs a little better today than they did them yesterday.
Having a recognition programme wthin your company serves a number of purposes. It can increase engagement levels, prevent burnout, prevent employee turnover and increase profitability and productivity. If you have recognition programs that do not lead to fulfillment of the company's goals, they should be reevaluated, and fast.
Source: Recognition is Rewarding
Thursday 3 May 2012
Choosing corporate trophies and plaques
So you have decided to implement an employee recognition programme, but now you are faced with choosing what to present to those outstanding individuals. Should you present trophies or plaques, and in what materials and size. Also what kind of text are you going to use and how often should you present the awards.
The most important aspect of choosing a recognition product is that it fulfills it's purpose; to reward someone for a job well done. From this perspective it is important the trophy or plaque is customised with the recipients name and what they are being rewarded for. All trophies and plaques can be personalised with laser engraving and title plates, so you only need to worry about wording the text appropriately. Any trophy shop will have many examples of previous wording for corporate trophies and plaques so this should not be an issue.
Now getting on to choosing the type of recognition product. People like being rewarded, but the reward must reflect the achievement. Giving an employee a packet of chocolate biscuits for 20 years service is insulting, it would be better not to have given the biscuits at all. Because of this it is important to give a corporate looking trophy rahter than a medals or sports award.
Glass, crystal and acrylic are all great options for corporate trophies. They can be laser engraved with company logos to also align the trophy with company branding and values. Corporate plaques are also a great option as the text and logos can be easily read and displayed. Acrylic can also be shaped to further customise the award, it could be in the shape of the companies product or brand. Visit Xpress Award's website to see some great corporate trophy designs. There are many standard and custom trophies and plaques for you to choose from. Get in touch with the team and they will be able to help you choose the best trophy for your needs, as well as the text and wording.
The most important aspect of choosing a recognition product is that it fulfills it's purpose; to reward someone for a job well done. From this perspective it is important the trophy or plaque is customised with the recipients name and what they are being rewarded for. All trophies and plaques can be personalised with laser engraving and title plates, so you only need to worry about wording the text appropriately. Any trophy shop will have many examples of previous wording for corporate trophies and plaques so this should not be an issue.
Now getting on to choosing the type of recognition product. People like being rewarded, but the reward must reflect the achievement. Giving an employee a packet of chocolate biscuits for 20 years service is insulting, it would be better not to have given the biscuits at all. Because of this it is important to give a corporate looking trophy rahter than a medals or sports award.
Glass, crystal and acrylic are all great options for corporate trophies. They can be laser engraved with company logos to also align the trophy with company branding and values. Corporate plaques are also a great option as the text and logos can be easily read and displayed. Acrylic can also be shaped to further customise the award, it could be in the shape of the companies product or brand. Visit Xpress Award's website to see some great corporate trophy designs. There are many standard and custom trophies and plaques for you to choose from. Get in touch with the team and they will be able to help you choose the best trophy for your needs, as well as the text and wording.
Thursday 29 March 2012
The advantages of recognition trophies and a highly engaged workforce
Employee engagement is the extent to which an employee is willing to exert extra effort into their work to help a company exceed. Presenting a trophy, award or plaque is a great way to boost engagement levels in the workplace. Altough the definition of the term varies across fields and researchers, in practical terms is it about an employee highly identifying with their role and company. Previous posts have shown why it is important to recognise employees with trophies, awards or plaques. Today i will look at a few measurable advantages that engagement can bring; they are productivity, profitablilty and staff retention.
JRA conducts an annual best places to work survey of New Zealand organisations and companies. Their 2011 report identifies these three advantages as being exhibited in companies with highly engaged staff. Earnings per employee are $34 239 for low levels of engagement; this jumps to $58 782 for medium and $60 963 for highly engaged workforces (a difference of $26 000 !). Holding an annual awards and recognition event for employees can thus turn into an investment and growth strategy for the company rather than an expense. Renting a function hall at a decent hotel with catering will cost around $20 000 for a hundred employees. Corporate trophies, awards and plaques can be done for around $2000. If such a programme can raise engagement levels in just one employee you would have paid for the function already. Such recognition programmes are more likely to raise engagement levels in all employees as a culture of performance is created in the company, so really the return on investment is many times over. JRA identifies a 10% change in engagement levels as resulting in additional earnings of $606 500 per year for 50 staff, $1 819 500 for 150 staff and $6 062 000 for 500 staff.
The second measure highlighted by JRA is return on assets being much higher for highly engaged workforces. They identify low engaged workforces getting a return of 6% on assets versus 9.8% and 22.8% for medium and high engagement companies. This effect will especially evident for companies using assets and capital that are not at full operating capacity. A human can only work so fast, but a human operating a computer or machine can push the machine to its limits. Thus we can see a ratchet or exponential increase in output due to a more highly engaged employee increasing productivity of assets to a higher degree than they have improved their own performance. This makes sense looking at the numbers; the jump from low to medium RoA is 3.8% but jumps steeply by 13% from medium to high. Having an award, trophy or plaque sitting in front of someone in the workplace is sure to reinforce they are valued and drive them to maintain high performance levels.
Lastly, highly engaged workforces have higher staff retention. If employees are being recognised for a job well done then they are more likely to stay. A ten percent increase in engagement levels is associated with a 7.7 percent increase in likelihood to stay in one's role. This can save costs on retraining as well as lost opportunity costs during the downtime of seraching for and hiring a new employee. For an increase in engagement of 10% JRA estimates a saving of $48 000 for small companies ( less than 50 staff), $144 000 for medium (150 staff) and $480 000 for large workplaces.
For these reasons it is worth investing some thought into boosting employee engagement levels. JRA states recognition as one of the key drivers of this for Kiwi companies. The top workplaces always have well run recognition programmes for employees. Xpress Awards and Trophies NZ Ltd specialise in corporate trophies, awards and plaques. Give them a call on 09 3775705 to discuss design options, or have a look through their website.
JRA conducts an annual best places to work survey of New Zealand organisations and companies. Their 2011 report identifies these three advantages as being exhibited in companies with highly engaged staff. Earnings per employee are $34 239 for low levels of engagement; this jumps to $58 782 for medium and $60 963 for highly engaged workforces (a difference of $26 000 !). Holding an annual awards and recognition event for employees can thus turn into an investment and growth strategy for the company rather than an expense. Renting a function hall at a decent hotel with catering will cost around $20 000 for a hundred employees. Corporate trophies, awards and plaques can be done for around $2000. If such a programme can raise engagement levels in just one employee you would have paid for the function already. Such recognition programmes are more likely to raise engagement levels in all employees as a culture of performance is created in the company, so really the return on investment is many times over. JRA identifies a 10% change in engagement levels as resulting in additional earnings of $606 500 per year for 50 staff, $1 819 500 for 150 staff and $6 062 000 for 500 staff.
The second measure highlighted by JRA is return on assets being much higher for highly engaged workforces. They identify low engaged workforces getting a return of 6% on assets versus 9.8% and 22.8% for medium and high engagement companies. This effect will especially evident for companies using assets and capital that are not at full operating capacity. A human can only work so fast, but a human operating a computer or machine can push the machine to its limits. Thus we can see a ratchet or exponential increase in output due to a more highly engaged employee increasing productivity of assets to a higher degree than they have improved their own performance. This makes sense looking at the numbers; the jump from low to medium RoA is 3.8% but jumps steeply by 13% from medium to high. Having an award, trophy or plaque sitting in front of someone in the workplace is sure to reinforce they are valued and drive them to maintain high performance levels.
Lastly, highly engaged workforces have higher staff retention. If employees are being recognised for a job well done then they are more likely to stay. A ten percent increase in engagement levels is associated with a 7.7 percent increase in likelihood to stay in one's role. This can save costs on retraining as well as lost opportunity costs during the downtime of seraching for and hiring a new employee. For an increase in engagement of 10% JRA estimates a saving of $48 000 for small companies ( less than 50 staff), $144 000 for medium (150 staff) and $480 000 for large workplaces.
For these reasons it is worth investing some thought into boosting employee engagement levels. JRA states recognition as one of the key drivers of this for Kiwi companies. The top workplaces always have well run recognition programmes for employees. Xpress Awards and Trophies NZ Ltd specialise in corporate trophies, awards and plaques. Give them a call on 09 3775705 to discuss design options, or have a look through their website.
Thursday 15 March 2012
Improving employee engagement through recognition trophies, awards and plaques
Employee engagement is a somewhat new term used by HR firms and has become a popular measure used in businesses to improve performance and other employee attitudes. First coined by Kahn, W. A (1990) it is now a popular subject in academia and the workplace. While there is no universally accepted definition of the term, generally it involves psychological and behavioural elements. Psychologically, engagement is energy, absorption, involvement and commitment in one's role. Behaviourally it involves performing above what is expected in a positive manner. Engagement levels are assesssed most commonly with pen and paper tests given to employees as well as objective measures. This article gives a brief overview of engagement and how awards, trophies and plaques can be important in achieved high engagement levels.
The advantages of high employee engagement for an organisation include; more productive employees, higher profits and less staff turnover. As employees are most often the most valuable asset within a company, it is important to maintain an engaged workforce. It is even more important considering that lower engagement levels will lead to reduced productivity and high staff turnover. Having just a few disengaged employees can make the culture within a workplace drop, spreading to more disengaged employees. Therefore assessing engagement levels is important in preventing drops in productivity and then motivating employees to perform at thier best to improve organisational success.
New Zealand has seen a surge in the popularity of this measure which has been helped with by the annual "Best Places to Work" survey run by Kenexa|JRA . In thier 2011 annual report JRA identify four key drivers to high engagement levels; Vision and Values, Sense of Community, Learning and Development and Performance Culture within an organisation.
An employee recognition programme can contribute to the four key driver, achieving a performance culture within an organisation. A perfomance culture involves employees being valued for their contributions and being rewarded for them as well. Presenting awards, trophies and plaques can serve both goals. Presenting a plaque or trophy for performance shows that people are valued as well as being rewarded with a tangible trophy they can hold in their hands and display in the workplace.
A regular and consistent recognition programme can quickly create a performance driven culture. Once this culture is created it becomes the norm, thus disengaged employees will be seen as outcasts and may become more engaged as everyone around them is positive. Having awards and trophies displayed in the office provides a permanent reminder of people's success and cements a performance culture in the workplace. Having a large honours board or plaque is another great way of implementing a recognition programme. Displaying this near the entrance reminds and enforces the performance culture for everyone. Having this at the entrance is also great for visiting clients who will be able to see they are dealing with an organisation that recognises success.
It is important that the type of award, trophy or plaque reflects the achievement of the individual as well representing the company brand and culture. Xpress Awards NZ Ltd specialises in corporate trophies, awards and plaques. Have a look around their website to get some ideas. The timing and consistency of rewarding performance is also important, this will be the topic of my next post.
The advantages of high employee engagement for an organisation include; more productive employees, higher profits and less staff turnover. As employees are most often the most valuable asset within a company, it is important to maintain an engaged workforce. It is even more important considering that lower engagement levels will lead to reduced productivity and high staff turnover. Having just a few disengaged employees can make the culture within a workplace drop, spreading to more disengaged employees. Therefore assessing engagement levels is important in preventing drops in productivity and then motivating employees to perform at thier best to improve organisational success.
New Zealand has seen a surge in the popularity of this measure which has been helped with by the annual "Best Places to Work" survey run by Kenexa|JRA . In thier 2011 annual report JRA identify four key drivers to high engagement levels; Vision and Values, Sense of Community, Learning and Development and Performance Culture within an organisation.
An employee recognition programme can contribute to the four key driver, achieving a performance culture within an organisation. A perfomance culture involves employees being valued for their contributions and being rewarded for them as well. Presenting awards, trophies and plaques can serve both goals. Presenting a plaque or trophy for performance shows that people are valued as well as being rewarded with a tangible trophy they can hold in their hands and display in the workplace.
A regular and consistent recognition programme can quickly create a performance driven culture. Once this culture is created it becomes the norm, thus disengaged employees will be seen as outcasts and may become more engaged as everyone around them is positive. Having awards and trophies displayed in the office provides a permanent reminder of people's success and cements a performance culture in the workplace. Having a large honours board or plaque is another great way of implementing a recognition programme. Displaying this near the entrance reminds and enforces the performance culture for everyone. Having this at the entrance is also great for visiting clients who will be able to see they are dealing with an organisation that recognises success.
It is important that the type of award, trophy or plaque reflects the achievement of the individual as well representing the company brand and culture. Xpress Awards NZ Ltd specialises in corporate trophies, awards and plaques. Have a look around their website to get some ideas. The timing and consistency of rewarding performance is also important, this will be the topic of my next post.
Thursday 8 March 2012
Why trophies and recognition are important
So what do trophies and awards have to do with self-actualisation and psychology? They play a part in fulfilling the third and forth layers; belonging and esteem. Recognition is a key component in letting someone know they are loved and respected. Trophies, awards and plaques offer a formal way to provide this recognition that is a lasting reminder.
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| Maslow's Hierachy of needs (Wikipedia) |
Providing you live in a developed country, the first two tiers of the pyramid are met; physiological needs such as shelter and food, and safety needs such as policing, healthcare and employment. Therefore in order for us to be happier we can move onto the next layers; a sense of love and belonging from friends, family, community and a sense of esteem from our jobs and hobbies. It is undeniable that in our daily life we respond positively to praise and postive comments from others, especially from our peers and those we look up to.
It is no wonder that trophies, awards and plaques play a large role in sports and corporate settings. They provide people with a sense of belonging and esteem which then further drives them to continue doing what they were rewarded for. This allows individuals to perform to their potential, trying harder to do better everytime they are rewarded. This is important in a business setting as well as sports and the economy in general.
Next time i will talk about employee engagement and how this is influenced from feedback and recognition in the workplace. If you are looking for ideas on what type of award, trophy or plaque to give to someone check out Xpress Awards and Trophies NZ for some ideas.
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