Research: Hourly Employee Rewards and Recognition Programs May Not Be So Rewarding

Research finds hourly employees would be happier, more productive with reward and recognition programs that are better aligned to meet their needs and desires

PR Newswire, 
LEWISVILLE, Texas – Nov. 3, 2015

New employee research from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions reveals that current employee reward programs—a key component in growing employee happiness—are not aligned with what makes hourly employees happy and most productive.

“Our research finds that, as a whole, current hourly employee rewards programs aren’t all that rewarding, which is directly impacting not only their happiness in the workplace, but also productivity levels,” said Rodney Mason, GVP of Marketing with Blackhawk Engagement Solutions, an international incentives and engagement company. “Hourly employees want more immediate and consistent recognition for their accomplishments from managers and executives, with rewards in the form of prepaid cards for exceeding expectations and taking on additional responsibilities.”

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“Happy Hourly” is the third in a four-part series based on a survey of 830 hourly American employees representative of the U.S. population and separated into two segments: those with college degrees and those without. Key findings include:

  • Look off the clock for what makes employees happiest: When asked to rank key factors by how much they contribute to happiness, both degreed and non-degreed hourly employees placed work in the bottom half. Family, friends, and health were the top three responses, and jobs also came after hobbies, music, and even pets. However, while work trails after most other happiness influencers, two of three hourly employees still say their jobs are important to their overall happiness.
  • Engaged and recognized, not so much: Overall, employers are not doing a very good job of keeping hourly employees focused, comfortable and engaged at work, as only 74 percent of degreed and 71 percent of non-degreed employees believe their boss seems to care about them. Only 55 percent have received praise for their work in the last week and it impacts how happy they are with their jobs overall.
  • The recognition gap: Most employees want more reward opportunities than employers offer, but hourly employees want them most of all. Forty-three percent of degreed and 37 percent of non-degreed hourly employees say their employer doesn’t offer any reward or recognition. Even when programs are offered, hourly employees are generally not eligible for most of them including bonuses, recognition rewards, wellness rewards, spot rewards and safety rewards.
  • It’s the thought that counts: Hourly employees widely report that the types of recognition that would make them happiest include awareness about their achievements. Fifty-seven percent of degreed and 62 percent of non-degreed employees most want managers to be aware of their recognition, followed closely by executives at the company (54 percent of degreed and 60 percent of non-degreed), and then their peers (37 percent of degreed and 45 percent of non-degreed). The fewest hourly employees are happy when people outside of their company are aware of their recognition.
  • Which activities most deserve rewards and recognition: Degreed (84 percent) and non-degreed (75 percent) employees agree that they would feel happy being recognized and rewarded for receiving a promotion followed closely (83 percent of degreed and 80 percent of non-degreed) by exceeding personal performance levels. Hourly employees are least happy receiving recognition when achieving milestones in a company program.
  • Prepaid pleases everyone: When given a choice, people prefer to receive payments in the form of prepaid cards, and hourly employees prefer them as a reward. Ninety-two percent of degreed and 89 percent of non-degreed hourly employees prefer prepaid cards over rewards that can be redeemed online or from a catalog. When asked how they would spend prepaid cards, more than half of hourly employees would use the reward for practical, everyday things.

According to @bhengagement hourly #employee #rewards and #recognition programs aren’t so rewarding

The complete “Happy Hourly” report can be downloaded in its entirety here.

About Happy Hourly
Happy Hourly is an Internet-based survey conducted by Blackhawk Engagement Solutions from March 1, 2015 to April 30, 2015. The sample size of 830 American respondents, ages 18 – 60+ at 95 percent confidence level would equate to + or – 4 percent margin of error had this been a random sample.

About Blackhawk Engagement Solutions
Blackhawk Engagement Solutions is a leading global provider of customized incentive and engagement solutions for employee rewards and recognition, consumer promotions, and indirect sales channel management programs. Blackhawk Engagement Solutions is a strategic partner with many of the world’s leading brands and a thought leader that provides game-changing engagement solutions. Through insights, innovative products, services and technology, Blackhawk Engagement Solutions inspires actions that impact results. For more information, please visit: www.bhengagement.com.

Blackhawk Engagement Solutions is a division of Blackhawk Network and is headquartered in Lewisville, Texas.

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