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PART ONE: 7 Reasons to Streamline Rewards and Recognition Program

April 26, 2022

By Kelley Briggs
In the first installment of a two-part series, we will explore how organizations can streamline and consolidate programs for employee rewards and recognition to better support all employees, regardless of where they work. In Part 2, we’ll look at the benefits of consolidating your HR tech stack into one central platform.

In the first installment of a two-part series, we will explore how organizations can streamline and consolidate programs for employee rewards and recognition to better support all employees, regardless of where they work. In Part 2, we’ll look at the benefits of consolidating your HR tech stack into one central platform.

Disparate employee rewards and recognition programs — those managed independently by different departments or business units — can lead to overlooked opportunities and, in many cases, to underutilization. By pulling rewards and recognition into one place, your organization can reduce manual processes and redundant work, create consistency and accountability, boost employee engagement, and facilitate better communication — all critical for improving your team culture.

Why update your rewards and recognition programs?

The key reason to streamline your rewards and recognition program is baked into your business goals. Employee rewards and recognition are meant to celebrate, connect, and engage. If the process of nominating employees or claiming rewards is cumbersome and confusing, the poor experience will detract from your aim. Streamlining these programs, on the other hand, helps build employee engagement and supports a positive work culture.

“Delivering a custom, branded rewards and recognition program that speaks to your employees’ personal values, can motivate and inspire them.”
- Inspirus Employee Engagement Trends and Forecasts for 2022

Additionally, revamping your rewards program allows you the opportunity to steer clear of these common pitfalls. With one unified platform, you can more easily manage your entire program, make changes or updates enterprise-wide when needed, and put more of a spotlight on the reasons you have rewards and recognition in the first place—your employees.

Benefits of streamlining your rewards and recognition programs

Enables a Holistic View

Consolidating your rewards and recognition program into a single platform gives a holistic view of the program for anyone on your HR team who uses it. This move simplifies rewards administration, giving HR a single system to administer and smoothing out the differences between departments that inevitably happen with disparate programs.

Simplifies Management

If you currently rely on multiple systems to administer your employee rewards and recognition, you may not even be aware of how much time and energy is lost due to the extra work required to collect data, update information, and answer employee questions. Consolidating systems also offer a single source for better data analytics on program usage, rewards budgets, and the like. Managing a single program is easier and more efficient than jumping back and forth between disparate systems.

Removes Manual Processes

In many ways, your employee rewards and recognition program is only as good as the experience of the people who use it. Providing a simplified system reduces headaches and streamlines the workflow, easing the brain strain required to manage your rewards and reducing the chances of human error. Using a system that automates many of the processes your team has historically performed manually also helps free up precious time and can reduce errors and oversights.

Aligns with a Single Goal

Unifying your employee rewards and recognition program into a single platform also helps you keep your eyes on the prize. A consolidated system rolls up into corporate goals and gives you an efficient way to align with your organization’s mission and vision. When rewards and recognitions are managed separately within each department, silos emerge and it’s difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether everyone is really offering the same experience.

Creates Consistency

Another benefit of unifying rewards programs and aligning with corporate goals is consistency throughout your organization. With a consolidated system, everyone is playing by the same rules and there is no opportunity for inequity between departments. Leveling the playing field in this way can create a more inclusive work culture and build trust.

Centralizes Accountability

Consolidating your rewards and recognition programs also facilitates a unified accountability. Rather than many disparate responsibilities that may roll up to different people, you can assign ownership to one person or group, making expectations and accountability clear and distinct.

Provides Consistent Communication

One of the biggest pitfalls of using disparate systems is the challenge of communication, as there may be multiple streams of messaging, all with different angles and motives. Streamlining your rewards and recognitions into one platform alleviates this problem, allowing you to control messaging and give your brand a single source.

Recognizing the value of employee rewards

In an era of increased competition for top talent and employee attitudes becoming more discerning about their work lives, employee experience, and engagement matter more than ever. Working to simplify and streamline your rewards and recognition programs is a powerful way to improve engagement, boost employee retention, and more effectively show your appreciation for the people who drive your business forward every day. By adopting a single platform to manage your employee rewards program, you can improve the quality of those experiences and foster a culture where employees feel seen and valued.

(Read Part Two: 7 Reasons to Consolidate Tour Employee Engagement Technology)