An Informed Employee Is a Productive Employee
New York, NY. May 9, 2011 — As the job market begins to recover and companies resume hiring, better internal communication will prove to be paramount to success. Effective communications continue to be a leading contributor to an organization’s financial well-being, according to the most recent Performance Perspective executive briefing released by Madison Performance Group. New York–based Madison Performance Group is the worldwide leader in developing employee engagement and incentive marketing programs for Fortune 1000 corporations that include CA, Citigroup, Kawasaki and Siemens. The company implements customized strategies to motivate workers, applying proprietary sales and marketing techniques to maximize employees’ success. As highlighted in the new Performance Perspective, companies that are good at sharing information significantly outperform organizations that don’t communicate well. For example, employers who communicate effectively are less likely to experience low employee morale and high turnover. “Good communication is an essential part of any sales incentive or employee recognition program, and smart companies are always rethinking their approach,” says Mike Ryan, Senior Vice President of Madison Performance Group. “Managers should always try to evolve both the means and the message in an ongoing effort to strengthen their organization’s connection with employees.”
There are six widely used guiding principles that many of the world’s leading companies use to govern program communications:
#1—Silence is never golden There is a strong correlation between successful incentive programs and the communication effort that precedes and supports them. Employees are two and a half times more likely to be engaged when they feel their manager encourages them.
When employees are not aware of the program they cannot possibly be motivated by it. But when managers are not properly advised, uncertainty ensues—and that creates extra work. Under communicating runs the risk of creating, high levels of manager dissatisfaction and diminished executive standing.
#2—Pumping up the volume just creates noise When it comes to message retention, the current orthodoxy is that more is better than less. Proponents of frequent communications insist that people need to hear a message over and over before they remember it, let alone embrace it. However, if your communication plan is based on sheer repetition, your budget will take a beating and your program’s voice will struggle to resonate.
#3—Relevancy is the killer app All companies have top performers, average performers and below-average performers layered across each segment. Companies need to be able to inform, persuade, prepare and inspire all of these groups if they are to remain competitive.
The right technologies make it easy to do so with efficiency and precision. A data-based rules engine can dispense the right messages electronically through email, text and other web-based outlets, increasing the overall number of “touches” while easing administration.
#4—Talk Employee Value Proposition while you’re at it
Use your platform to define what’s at stake for the employee, not just with your current incentive program, but across the complete Employee Value Proposition. Illustrate your entire investment: base and variable pay, benefits, time off, personal development opportunities and, of course, the recognition or incentive program’s potential payout. Research confirms that employees who understand the full value of the awards at stake are more likely to think of a company’s investment in them as fair.
#5—Senior managers make great spokespeople Senior-level manager visibility is essential to employees becoming aware of—and accepting—your program. Programs that have visible senior manager support outperform those that don’t. Senior leaders must clarify the seemingly contradictory messages that managers have been hearing: save money and reduce nonessential spending. They must position the recognition or incentive campaign as a priority.
#6—It’s time to “friend” social media Within decentralized, virtual and often global infrastructures, one of the biggest challenges for organizations is determining how to best communicate across the enterprise. The use of web-based portals for recognition and sales incentive communications remains the top choice for most companies.
Companies that have integrated these tools and techniques within their firewalls are seeing noticeable gains in employee communication, collaboration and cumulative learning across the enterprise.
“Some methods of communication are tried and true and worth repeating; other methods reflect how new technologies are shaping the way we interact with one another,” Ryan concludes. “All of these methods have helped program planners deliver a continuous stream of relevant content that informs, motivates and inspires.”
Media Contact:
Ericho Communications
Carolyn Fraser, Account Executive
220 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 646.507.5897
Email: carolyn@erichopr.com
About Madison
As a global leader in Social Recognition, Madison delivers intuitive and multi-faceted Recognition, Incentive and Service Anniversaryprograms powered by Maestro, their uniquely configurable cloud-based SaaS technology. Recognition Group Travel, Concierge Travel Arrangements and Corporate Meetings are an integral part of these capabilities. Designed to solve an organization’s unique business issues, Madison’s approach encompasses the totality of a company’s performance drivers and focuses on the individuals responsible for ultimate success–employees, sales and channel partners.
Madison’s performance and sales boosting methods coupled with powerful analytics and innovative solutions give management the power to purposefully engage an audience; measurably identify leadership traits; effectively motivate tangible potential; and sharply incent individuals. Leveraging scientific principles to guide desirable change of human behavior and elevate performance, Madison has been helping clients do more by encouraging their audiences to achieve more for 40 years.
For more information: Madison Email: info@madisonpg.com Phone: 866.535.2543 Fax: 212.308.0646 www.madisonpg.com
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