Consider This Before You Choose an Award...
Choosing the right award for a recipient is just as important as presenting it the right way.  According to a recent interview with Promo, Donna Oldenburg, the show director for the Incentive Show and president of Oldenburg Incentive Solutions, talks about what employees want:

“Make awards truly special. Be sure to offer things employees want, but may not necessarily buy for themselves. Be sure to maximize and capitalize on social reinforcement qualities. What this means is choose items that employees can use time and time again and show off and share with their family and friends. This way you are reinforcing the positive memory of how they earned that award each time they use it. Those positive memories translate into good feelings toward the company.”

To find out what will truly honor the recipient and do the company justice, you must have a clear understanding of the award's purpose, the preferences of the recipient and the organization, and the overarching vision for the event.

Profile
To make a lasting impression, you must recognize deserving employees in a way that is meaningful to them personally.  How do you find out what is meaningful to your employees? Just ask them!

Start by developing an employee recognition profile and store it in each employee's file. Then you can use this profile to plan for a meaningful, lasting recognition experience!

Ask questions that will give you clues about how to best recognize your star performers in a lasting way. Below are a few sample questions:

• Do you prefer to be recognized publicly or privately?
• Do you prefer that recognition be given by peers, management, or an executive?
• Tell us about yourself - record family member names, pets, personal or professional accomplishments
• What is your favorite - snack, beverage, color, sports team, restaurant, book, movie, music, etc...

Purpose
First, ask the recognition planner why this person or team is worthy of recognition. Understanding the purpose behind a recognition event will help you suggest products that will be symbolic to the recipient.

Preference
Second, ask the recognition planner for some basic information about the recipient. Find out how the individual prefers to be recognized and how they like to spend their free time. Going the extra mile to personalize the event to the preferences of the recipient will create lasting memories. 

Vision
Last, ask the recognition planner about his or her vision for the event. Recognition planners typically have a mental image of the event or occasion. They also have an in-depth understanding of the culture of the organization.

Addressing these three key issues: purpose, preference, and vision will get you off to planning a meaningful recognition experience for everyone!  After all you don’t want the award that you pick out to be deemed “cheesy” the following day in conversations around the water cooler!

Sources:
Running a Successful Recognition Program by Patricia Odell, Promo, http://promomagazine.com/premiums/successful_recognition_program/