Firms across the country echo one common theme again and again, "How can we retain our current staff?"

The question is a good one because firms certainly want to keep the talent pool they have, while increasing their level of productivity; however, many firm leaders seem to be clueless as to how to achieve the goal.

Rewarding staff is one key aspect of retaining staff. Why look at this one area rather than so many others? If firms would really stop to think and plan the rewards for their current staff, the firm would also be rewarded with lower turnover rates and higher productivity from the very people they have in their staffing pools today.

When your firm begins to explore how staff is rewarded, start with the mindset that this is more than just a nice gesture. A reward system will be an effective way to drive performance and reinforce the behaviors that help the firm meet its objectives. The appropriate reward can help you manage staff and connect the performance you desire with the individual staff behavior you are seeking.

First, let's stop for a moment and "think" about what your firm is trying to accomplish. A good reward program will develop the objectives for the firm before they start trying to throw "stuff" at the team in a haphazard way. In fact, if the staff perceives there is no thought behind what is being rewarded, it will be viewed as a negative rather than a positive initiative. Some of the possible criteria for reward that should be considered are:

• productivity
• customer service
• superior performance awards (usually for outstanding effort and achievement on a specific project)
• length of service (usually landmark anniversaries like one, five, 10, and 20 years of service, for example)
• retirement
• attendance (six months or a year without an absence is the typically rewarded goal)
• employee-of-the-month programs

When owners think of reward systems, they typically put compensation at the top of the list. There is nothing wrong with that, since few people are willing or able to work for free. But the right strategy should also include mini "rewards" to motivate throughout the year.

Once the decision is made about the behaviors to reward, the next step is to decide what you will offer as the reward. That sounds like the easy and fun part… right? Well, not really. Rewards must match the personal preference of the staff member who is receiving the reward or it simply will not be taken as positive. Be keenly aware of what the staff member "wants" and then make the reward one THEY will see as positive – not you. Consider just a few rewards listed below:

• certificates
• plaques
• trophies or ribbons
• jewelry (pins, pendants)
• pens or desk accessories
• watches and clocks
• cash bonuses
• savings bonds
• tickets to sporting or cultural events
• vacation trips
• personal notes to employees – handwritten by a superior
• extra time off
• a bulletin board to recognize employees through letters, memos and client correspondence
• surprise celebration
• a traveling trophy that goes each month to the employee exhibiting the greatest overall performance — behaviors and results — in the business.

These are only a few, be creative. The more creative and individualized the reward is, the better it will be received.

If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.

Once you have decided what you will give a staff member, you must then decide how to present the reward. This part of the process is almost as important as the reward itself. For the reward or recognition to mean anything it must be given with sincerity and thoughtfulness. It must be treated as special, not as some necessary evil. Recognizing an employee is not an end in and of itself. It is a means to an end — making the employee feel valued and reinforcing desirable behavior.

Generally if something is worth recognizing, it is also worth publicizing. Unless you have an employee who is extremely shy and introverted, a little celebration is a good way to bestow recognition, whether it takes the form of a plaque, a bonus, a certificate or just some words of praise and a "thank you."

Some suggested ways to bestow recognition are:

• Bring donuts and coffee, and make the presentation during the morning staff meeting.
• Set aside some time at a regularly scheduled (weekly, monthly, yearly) meeting to recognize achievements.
• For more formal presentations, have a dinner.

If the employee is shy and likely to feel uncomfortable, you may choose to send an e-mail message or a memo publicizing the achievements of the employee instead of having an in-person gathering.

Remember, while all of this sounds very positive – and believe me it is – staff reward programs can be very unrewarding if they are not planned and delivered in a positive way. The plaques with logos and goofy contests can backfire. It is not that they are all bad, but too often they seem like empty gestures supported by upper management, administered by a less-than-enthused middle management, and received by under-whelmed staffers. In other words, it is the thoughtlessness that counts.

A majority of the recognition programs in existence today "do more harm than good," says Curt Coffman, global practice leader at the Gallup Organization. His polls show that 71 percent of U.S. workers are "disengaged," essentially clock-watchers who can't wait to go home. "We're operating at one-quarter of the capacity in terms of managing human capital," he says. "It's alarming."

The only thing worse than negative recognition, is insincere recognition. Even the most lavish gifts often do not engender the expected employee gratitude after an unceremonious delivery.

Take for example, the firm manager that had gone to a seminar on how to reward and motivate his staff. The lesson he thought he learned was that he should take a few minutes everyday to "walk around the office and give the staff some positive adulations." He took the advice seriously and at exactly 4:30 each day put on his calendar, "Walk Around.” He would proceed to walk around the office and tell each person thanks and that he appreciated their effort.

Well, you can imagine the effort was less than enthusiastic and the staff soon figured out they were just another "to do" on his daily list. Needless to say, the gesture backfired on the manager!

Consider what would happen if this manager had really taken the advice handed out at the seminar and started handing out "praise" for good works throughout the office. Randomly and sincerely. The staff would have started to see the change over time… and would have felt the loyalty building within the team.

Take on the challenge today. The formula for staff reward success is simple: THINK about what you want to reward, develop a PLAN for delivery and GROW your firm's staff through rewards that really count! The reward for your firm will be worth the effort.

About the Author
Sandra Wiley is COO and senior consultant with Boomer Consulting, where she assists clients in hiring and building teams within their management and technology staff. You can reach Ms. Wiley by e-mail at sandra@boomer.com.

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