U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

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1001 Ways to Reward Employees

by Bob Nelson, Workman Publishing Co., 1994

Are you looking for ways to rejuvenate and to redesign your agency's reward and recognition programs? If so, you will find 1001 Ways to Reward Employees in Bob Nelson's new, easy-to-read book.

The book consists entirely of brief descriptions of the kinds of things that scores of organizations are doing to recognize their employees. The author polled a number of private companies and some Federal agencies and found hundreds of innovative ways for organizations to say thank you. The book includes numerous examples of rewards that range from the spontaneous gesture of praise to formal, traditional award programs.

• Recognizing Employee Performance
• Outstanding Teller Service Award
• Excellence in Service Award
• Koshland Award
• Book Appendices

Recognizing Employee Performance. Even though some ideas are unsuitable for Federal employees (e.g., stock ownership options), many of the ideas could be adopted under current law and regulations. In addition, throughout the book, there are brief quotes that will help stimulate thinking about rewards and the necessity for recognizing people, such as: Recognition for a job well done is the top motivator of employee performance, according to a recent survey by the Council of Communication Management. Throughout the book, the author reinforces the basic theme that everyone wants to be appreciated. Its major sections cover examples of informal awards, formal awards, and awards for specific achievements and activities.

Outstanding Teller Service Award. The book includes creative reward and recognition techniques that organizations are using. For instance, the Outstanding Teller Service Award at the First Knox National Bank in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, seeks to tie productivity and customer service awards to measurable goals. The program selects one outstanding teller from each branch. The decision is based on different sources that are weighted as follows: 33% teller choice, 34% customer satisfaction (based on selection cards in customers' bank statements), 11% balancing record, 11% number of transactions, and 11% supervisory rating.

Excellence in Service Award. As another example, employees at the Shenandoah National Park in Luray, Virginia, developed an Excellence in Service Award. It is designed to recognize those on the park staff, as well as outside individuals, who make significant contributions to the mission and purposes of the park. The award consists of a letter and a certificate with artwork done by a ranger artist.

Koshland Award. Also, at Levi Strauss & Company, based in San Francisco, employees nominate one another for the firm's Koshland Award for showing initiative, taking risks, generating cost-saving measures, submitting creative ideas for promoting products-anything that puts the company at a competitive advantage. Winners receive a plaque at an annual ceremony and a cash award.

Book Appendices. The book also includes appendices on: Where to Get Specialty Reward Items, Companies that Arrange Unusual Reward Activities, and Motivational/Incentive Companies and Associations. This book could be a helpful resource for working with task forces or giving managers and employees ideas for designing their own informal programs. With this treasure chest of good ideas and resources, organizations can be off to a good start.

Originally published on August 1994