Has your nomination program become too subjective?
Here’s how to fix the problem
Nomination programs are extremely popular and used by many companies to improve engagement, encourage teamwork, reinforce culture and recognize great work.
Nomination Programs are an effective way of motivating employees to focus on core values, strategic initiatives and goals – IF designed and implemented strategically.
Consider the following questions…
- Is your nomination criteria aligned to support the business?
- Are there inconsistencies with approvals and the amounts awarded?
- Is there a significant lag time between submittal and approval?
- Are pending nominations getting lost in the day-to-day email clutter?
- Are recipients not being announced consistently?
- Is there a disconnect between the recognition and the real impact on the business?
If the answer is YES to any of the above, CSI STARS Nomination Builder can help.
There are 3 fundamentals that determine the success of every nomination program:
- The Nomination Criteria. Keep the online nomination form short and easy to complete yet require a specific example or reason of how the nominee’s actions are aligned with and impacting one of the company’s core values, strategic initiatives and/or goals.
- The Approval Process. How nominations are approved or denied should be a transparent and objective process. Some clients use rating criteria while others prefer to base decisions on an individual or team evaluation process. When it comes to the award amounts, approvers should have clear criteria on how much to award.
- Communications. Promote your achievers and their achievements. Social recognition tools have made it simple to communicate achievements company-wide. Celebrating individuals and teams will reinforce desired behaviors and performance with all employees, across the company.
Most nomination programs fail due to the issues we cited earlier. CSISTARS can design a program that is aligned with the core values your company wants to reinforce. We can assist in defining the specific behaviors, selection criteria and promotional ideas so employees know what is expected, want to participate and do the things that support your strategic initiatives and goals – measurably.
Still have questions?
We’d be happy to share how we’ve helped clients of your size and industry launch a successful nomination program.
Lori is the VP of Recognition for CSI International Inc. She has a MBA with a minor in Human Resources, is a Certified Recognition Professional and member of the SHRM blog squad. Prior to joining CSI STARS, she worked at Mercer Human Resource Consulting and Youthography, a youth market research agency. Connect with CSI STARS on LinkedIn to learn how we cultivate a workforce that loves coming to work.
