JohnSylvester
Member Since: 27th Oct 2009
Blogger
John Sylvester has been largely responsible for the development and growth of the motivation & incentive discipline with P&MM.
Having worked in the motivation agency business since completing a business degree in 1984, John joined P&MM in 1989 and the main board in 1996.
www.staffmotivationmatters.co.uk
John is responsible for the company’s premier key accounts and the motivation / IT operations area of the business. John has a great depth of experience in developing, implementing and directing many large scale motivation, recognition and communications programmes, and is a recognised industry authority in the field of motivation, making regular contribution to industry press comment and speaking at leading industry conferences and seminars.
Speaking engagements include: -
- Promotional Marketing Exhibition 2007
- New Payment Channels conference Feb 2007 – How pre-paid cards are changing the industry
- Total Motivation 2006
- National Incentive show 2006
- Promotional Marketing Show 2006 – “Motivation and Incentive schemes – effective methods of producing ROI”
- Call Centre Association 2005 – “How incentive techniques positively affect staff attrition”
- Incentive World 2004 – “Nuts and Bolts of Motivation”
- Call Centre Expo – “Choosing the right incentive rewards”
- Employee Benefits Show 2005 – “Employee Recognition – case study”
- Employee Benefits Show 2004 – “Benefits that make work a fun place”
- The Total Motivation Show 2005 – “Motivation – what’s it all about?”
- John was also chair of the seminar committee for Incentive World 2003.
My answers
Thank you both for your comments.
There does seem to be a distinct difference in the frequency and value of awards presented depending on which sector you work within. There is a definite public vs private sector divide, with government funded organisations trailing behind those in the private sector.
We would recommend that no organisation wait longer than 10 years before recognising long service, but in fact far greater gains can be made by offering more frequent, but perhaps lower value rewards after just a few years service - particularly if you operate in a high turnover industry.
These programmes brought to light an interesting issue. With one in five workers now believing that they will continue on into their 70's before retirement, benefit programmes and schemes need to be adapted to an older workforce. Many organisations are currently swayed towards the younger demographic, but the experience of older generations should not be overlooked and finding benefits that will be valued by both parties can be a tricky balancing act.
http://staffmotivationmatters.co.uk/motivating-older-workers/
Many people underestimate the influence a simple thank you can have over an employee's engagement with an organisation. Over 35% of employees consider lack of recognition at work to be the biggest hindrance to their productivity and receiving a simple thank you will increase the likelihood of a person’s willingness to help again in the future by 100%.
http://staffmotivationmatters.co.uk/the-power-employee-recognition/
Although this is a fairly clear-cut example of a less than generous reward, what would it take to disappoint a member of your staff? How many employers would be able to answer?
Companies should review and benchmark their reward and recognition policies at least every three years and ensure they’re abreast of the current industry best practice. If there is an element of uncertainty about the cost, always err on the side of generosity applying the simple but indefatigable test “How would I personally react if given this?”
Of course, in today’s struggling economy rewards must be carefully administered. The impressive rewards offered in more fruitful days are unlikely to be feasible but, nevertheless, if an employer chooses to offer a token gesture of thanks it should make the employee feel valued. There is nothing worse, after the reward has been presented than an incensed employee saying; “No, you really shouldn’t have!” at the same time thinking “Is that all I am worth? Is that all they really think of me? I’ve worked hard for them for many years and all they gave me was a… KitKat!”
http://staffmotivationmatters.co.uk/when-rewards-go-wrong-the-cost-can-be-high/
Here at P&MM we've seen an increased number of clients in need of a way of communicating and motivating remote workers, which leads us to believe that many are embracing this new way of working. Research has shown that 21% of employers have placed achieving a good work/life balance as top priority for 2012. With many employees struggling to stay positive at the prospect of another year of financially uncertain times the need has never been greater to support your workforce in achieving a good work/life balance.
Read more: http://www.hrzone.co.uk/blogs/johnsylvester/motivation-matters/greatest-wealth-health#ixzz1nl7Efq2B
These figures are extremely concerning. I wonder how much public sector disatisfaction comes from a lack of recognition in the workplace? Structured methods of recognising hard work should be put in place no matter what sector an organisation is in. We've seen some distinct differences in the value and frequency of Long Service Awards which would support this trend...
http://www.johnsylvester.co.uk/when-will-the-public-sector-come-up-to-date-with-long-service-awards/
Lack of engagement with the company, the brand and its future direction could be a contributing factor in some long serving staff cheating their employer. Ongoing reward and recognition programmes are crucial in creating and maintaining employee engagement. Such schemes make clear to staff that management acknowledge their efforts and contribution to the business and instill in everyone a sense that they are working towards a common goal, thereby reducing the likelihood of fraud.
That is a real possibility Phil, statistics can of course be swayed by a number of factors, including the honesty of respondants. Perhaps also by the types of industry that are in seen greater numbers up north? Call centres for example? The national averages, however, make for alarming reading.
Interesting article. I think there's a definate case for implimenting a structured recognition scheme within larger organisations. We've seen an increase in enquiries of this nature over the past 10 months (no doubt the ecomonic climate has much to do with that).
One key advantage of a well thought out recognition scheme is that you can link it to whatever company behaviours you want to promote. Virgin Media have had great success with this, take a look at http://www.johnsylvester.co.uk/recognition/cant-rate-your-own-virgin-media-shout-staff-recognition-programme/