Changing Workforce Drives Need for Recognition Revamp

ROSEMONT, IL November 26, 2013 – With nearly 33 percent of today’s workforce comprising independent contractors, freelancers, and corporate partners, plus an increasingly diverse workplace, employers need to revamp their recognition programs if they are to be effective, according to Cindy Mielke, VP-Marketing for Marketing Innovators International, Inc.

“As a provider of rewards and recognition programs to a wide range of organizations, we see firsthand the impact of a rapidly evolving work environment. It’s critical that employers adapt their rewards and recognition programs to today’s realities,” says Mielke.

Citing a recently published article (“The Recognition Revolution: Future Workplace Calls for Creative Thinking, New Strategies, and Bold Moves”) from the Recognition Council, where she sits on the board, Mielke adds, “We’ve learned that global 100 companies outsource or off-shore about one-fifth of their workforce. We also know that today’s workforce comprises multiple generations and are ethnically more diverse than ever. Your recognition program really needs to appeal to every one of these segments if it is to succeed in employee engagement across the board.”

She adds, “The title of the Recognition Council article says it all: these new realities require a ‘recognition revolution.’” Mielke advises organizations to:

  • Embrace social media. Adapt an enterprise-wide system and embed it in your rewards and recognition program.
  • Go mobile. Mobiles are the first stop for information-seekers and mobile optimized rewards score high with employees.
  • Personalize. From personalized messages to personalized gift cards, this shows you acknowledge and recognize the individual.
  • Support peer-to-peer. Peer-to-peer recognition on a social platform is a powerful way to spread recognition enterprise-wide. It brings together employees otherwise separated by departmental siloes or geography.

“We’re just at the beginning of the recognition revolution,” Mielke concludes. “Organizations that want to reward and recognize their employees—and companies that provide them with the tools to do it—we all have a huge opportunity here to be creative, innovative and strategic.”

About Marketing Innovators:

For more than three decades, Marketing Innovators International, Inc. has helped organizations develop and deploy successful reward, recognition and incentive strategies that inspire their customers, employees and partners. Visit www.marketinginnovators.com or call toll free 800.543.7373 for more information. Follow the Marketing Innovators Blog or join MI on Facebook and Twitter.

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