AON OCT Recognition Trends 2016
AON OCT Recognition Trends 2016
AON OCT Recognition Trends 2016
Understanding what factors create and sustain effective recognition programs Table of Contents
is essential to maintaining a motivated workforce. This study sought to understand
which forms of recognition work, identify the elements of a healthy program, Demographics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
and what the outcomes are.
Recognition Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Driving performance doesn’t have to drive costs. Recognition programs can
Most Effective Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
deliver cost-effective solutions that build a profit and growth-oriented
mindset. In fact, recognition forms an important part of the talent management Factors of Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
toolkit and has critical linkages to total rewards, engagement, the employee
value proposition, and communication.
Employees are more engaged when
Effective programs have measurable results: increases in engagement,
performance, and retention are outcomes of successful recognition programs. they are recognized
The chart on the right shows that recognition can create over a 40% increase
in engagement, even in situations where pay is substandard.1
Not Paid Fairly, but Paid Fairly &
Recognized Recognized
After studying the most effective recognition programs of 478 organizations,
71% 91%
Yes
• Senior leadership buy-in and management support are the greatest enablers Engaged Engaged
to successful programs.
Not Paid Fairly and Paid Fairly, but
• Reviewing the program annually ensures that it is operating well by determining not Recognized Not Recognized
which rewards are working and if the right individuals are being recognized.
31% 61%
No
• Costlier isn’t better; the most effective programs take advantage of non- Engaged Engaged
monetary vehicles for recognition.
No Yes
P A I D F A I R LY
1 Oehler, K. and Adair, C., “2015 Trends in Global Employee Engagement,” Aon, 2015.
Companies making
between $1 billion and
$5 billion
Number of Respondents 23% Companies making between
Per Country: $500 million and $1 billion
17%
Canada 21
*Responses do not add up to 100 due to data rounding in analysis process.
Germany 22
India 11
United Kingdom 28
Number of Employees
United States 396
In addition, there is a clear focus on managing customer and In addition, we see ‘build a culture of recognition’ and
client relationships. This is about both retaining and acquiring ‘reinforce company values’ taking the third and fifth rank.
clients/customers. It naturally follows therefore that operational Organizations are utilizing these programs to help drive
efficiency is also top of mind. recognition and communicate values throughout the
organization. This reinforces the idea of recognition as an
Our respondents wanted to deliver the best product to important part of holistic talent management.
their clients/customers in the most efficiency way. However,
there was also a balancing act with quality, which appeared
as the fifth most common business goal.
Rank Recognition Outcomes
One interesting distinction is that respondents that self-reported
as managers ranked operational efficiency and quality higher, 1 Improve engagement
while respondents who were more senior (EVP, SVP, VP,
2 Drive employee performance
and C-Suite) ranked more strategic goals such as profitable and
revenue growth higher. 3 Build a culture of recognition
4 Improve retention
9 Technology
10 Global expansion
11 Restructuring
Stopped Using
The table below shows the top vehicles that organizations
have stopped using. Cash, gift/merchandise, pre-paid gift cards,
and event tickets topped the list.
Plan to Use
Future plans for a redeemable points system indicate the Monetary awards
potential for more transparent reward systems. The use of a are more effective than
redeemable points system is promising, as this gives employees non-monetary awards
43%
a choice to translate their points into a vehicle they find
most meaningful.
*Responses do not add up to 100 due to data rounding in analysis process.
Cash 21% Thank-yous from peers, managers, 74% Redeemable points system 15%
or next-level managers
Gift/Merchandise 18% Gift/Merchandise 14%
Public recognition by senior 66%
Event Tickets 18% leadership E-card 13%
Pre-paid Cards (Visa, Amex, etc.) 17% Gift/Merchandise 64% Vacation or company-paid trip 13%
Vacation or company-paid trip 17% Trophies and symbolic awards 55% One-on-one time with leader 13%
Retail and Wholesale Trade Cash Thank yous* Internal social media
recognition
Rank Situations
14 Attract talent
16 Reduce costs
E-card 22%
Freight Thank yous* Trophies and
One-on-one time with Transportation symbolic awards
leader
18%
Vacation or company-
paid trip
10%
Company stock 8%
Gamification system 7%
15%
10%
8%
5%
0%
Less than 6–12 1–2 2–5 5–10 10+
6 months months years years years years
10% 13%
10% 10% 12%
0%
Twice a year Annual Once every Every three Other
(once a year) two years years or more
Managers 55%
HR 53%
Once a month
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 24%
Head of total
9%
rewards program
Head of compensation 7%
and benefits
Head of financial 3%
function
Additionally, meaningfulness of recognition also ranks high, further 2 Manager and employee buy-in/usage
stressing the importance of employee involvement.
3 Meaningfulness of recognition offered
Availability of budget and resources is closely tied to senior (recognition available for a variety of
leadership commitment, as these leaders typically approve accomplishments, given in a meaningful
way, with meaningful awards)
monetary and employee resources. Ease of use of recognition
program takes the fifth spot. One respondent summarized this 4 Availability of budget and resources
succinctly: “Keep it simple. Get employee feedback.” for recognition
81%
Rank Recognition Outcomes
1 Improve engagement
Program 2’s emphasis on performance continues to reinforce 12 Improve alignment of individual performance
the value of recognition programs as a method for accomplishing to business unit/ organizational goals
task-specific goals. 13 Drive or support change
14 Attract talent
3 On-the-spot performance
4 Tenure/loyalty
7 Customer/client feedback
8 Contribution to safety
9 Annual performance
10 Process improvement
12 Attendance
What makes Recognition Programs effective? One of the most pressing questions to answer is how recognition
can be targeted better at Millennials—the age group for
The effectiveness of recognition programs varies by generation which recognition programs have the lowest levels of effectiveness.
and employment status. Recognition programs are most effective When we compared the mix of vehicles for those organizations
among full-time employees, Baby Boomers, and Generation X that said their programs were effective for Millennials against those
as the graph below suggests. that said they were ineffective, the largest differences were in
the usage of vehicles such as hand written notes, thank yous, and
The fact that recognition programs are ineffective among event tickets.
almost a quarter of contingent employees and interns is troubling,
as the use of contingent workers is on the rise and will likely We speculate that event tickets shows a large difference due
continue to grow in the years to come. Interns also become the to the fact that they provide an experiential reward as opposed to
full-time workers of the future, and an effective recognition a static one. This ties in with the theme of recognition programs
program may just be the difference between the choice to work for being meaningful for the target audience.
one company over another.
Silent Generation
18% 30% 53%
(born before 1946)*
As we saw from the program enablers, organizations must get Maintaining a competitive advantage requires an empowered
senior leadership and management commitment to ensure program workforce, and recognition is an important link to engaged
success. If these programs do not have the blessing of the top employees who lead to better business results. Recognition will
of the organization, they may be well-intended, but simply fall flat therefore continue to play an increasingly important role in
due to monetary or human capital constraints. The recognition the way that organizations think of talent management.
itself must also be meaningful and easy to use or organizations risk
underutilization of the program.
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global provider of risk management, insurance brokerage
and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services. Through its
more than 72,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower results for clients in over 120
countries via innovative risk and people solutions. For further information on our capabilities and
to learn how we empower results for clients, please visit: http://aon.mediaroom.com.