Statistics cited from a 2002 NAER Survey show some interesting things about recognition and the businesses that utilize recognition programs in their organizations. Far and away the most interesting stat that popped out right away was that 84% of businesses reported having an active employee recognition program. Additionally, even as the economy cools, recognition programs seem to be gaining in popularity with 41% of respondents indicating they are doing more with their recognition programs then they were 12 months ago. Of the people without a recognition program, over half said they are looking into starting one within the next 12 months. Another interesting stat include the reasons for having a recognition program. Tops on this list is creating a positive work environment, but other reasons include reinforcing desired behaviors, motivating high performance, increasing morale and supporting organizational values. The key is not just implementing a recognition program to achieve y

Because we know you are looking to kill time waiting for the clock to strike five on Fridays, we are going to be spotlighting products on this day; some old some new, all tried and true to the quality that you have come to know from us. This weeks product comes from our Airflyte line, and today we are spotlighting their Walnut Piano Finish Plaques. Airflyte manufacturer Tropar has been supplies awards retailers with products for over 40 years. With 30 design patents, Tropar has positioned itself to remain a major player in the corporate recognition market. We got started selling Airflyte plaques and they are one of the best suppliers to work with. They helped us grow when we were first starting out, and continually listen to their customers to roll out new products that the market demands. One of these products, the plaques in the piano finish walnut line, epitomize the value and care that goes into the Airflyte line. Sometimes recognition calls for a plaque other times the recogni

We all know how important it is to hire good employees or to find good volunteers if you are working for a non profit organization such as a youth sports org. This can especially be a burden if you are on a tight budget. After reading an article in Fortune Small Business , and in trying to hire a full time employee, this article helped reinforce this fact. Diana Nguyen is 33. She started her career as a family physician and worked at an HMO seeing 25 patients in four hours. Doing this for sometime led Diana to branch out and open her own private practice. She kept trying to hire employees that weren't the right fit for her organization, and it hurt her business. While attending the UC Irvine School of Business extension program she learned how to find talented employees. This program enabled her to identify and hire an office manager who was able to grown Hguyen practice for her, while she focused on the stuff she likes doing, cosmetic medicine. And she is enjoying he

It's the time of year when parents are busy readying their kids for school, and everyone is wishing summer was just a couple weeks longer. We will take this opportunity, these last couple days of the summer, to spotlight certain products that are sure to succeed in creating lasting memories and building better lives through recognition. Enjoy! NEW RESINS These resins create lasting impressions in the winners minds, and definitely will cause the event that the winner received the award at to be a memorable one. Resins offer the unique opportunity to change up your awards without compromising quality, and even creating a greater perception of quality, while saving on costs. Resins come in many shapes and sizes. Some, like the bowling resin from PDU pictured above, come hand painted, while others are offered in different sizes. For previous jobs we have taken resins and used them to create custom team trophies for tournaments. These are great because no one has ever used

It's the attention to detail, as I am sure many of you know, that makes all t he difference in this world, and it just so happens it's also what we, as recognition experts, pride ourselves on. I was at a luncheon yesterday put on by the Indian Valley Chamber of Commerce , and it was a great event. With much attention to detail, the program went off without a hitch. John Sparta, from Sparta Cycling , was talking about the Univest Grand Prix , giving us an update as to how it is coming and changes to be expected. With entering into a new community, it compelled me to fill out a volunteer form, because hearing this guy talk about what a great community event this is and how it's great for everyone involved was very refreshing to hear. I mean I knew the Pennridge community was this way because I grew up there, and I had a feeling that the Souderton community would be the same way, but hearing him speak really hit home. This guy, from New York, really knew wha t it took t

Taken from incentive magazine. Written by Jacqueline Durett and www.maketheirday.com Write a card to the employee, or even to the employees family, explaining the employee's positive qualities. Take a big project you are plannind on delegating and think about who it growth opportunity for. Take 10 minutes to have a performance free talk with your direct reports. Supplying lunch is even better.

Awards programs and choice have not always gone hand in hand. It was generally accepted that whatever the manager or boss thought was sufficient to give to employees to recognize achievements was sufficient and achieved the goals of motivating the employees. We know that to be totally false! People like choice but too much choice can be a bad thing. It's like Goldilocks, she didn't want to burn her tongue on the porridge that was too hot and the porridge that was too cold was not very tasty. It took her unt il the third bowl to find the porridge that was just right, and baby bear may not of thought it was the right temperature for him, even though it was perfect for Miss Locks. The point of this is there is not a one size fits all approach to this recognition thing. The goals themselves will often times be different. One thing is for sure though, you need to approach it with goals in mind and then approach it accordingly. Plaques and awards are the second most used re