WorldExecutivesDigest|The 21st century office is all about networking. In one sense, you need a technologically up-to-date computer system that is networked so all your employees can access the programs, processes, and information they need to do their jobs. In another sense, person-to-person social networking is crucial to a businesses sense as well. A generation ago, many people confused a busy, stressful work environment with a successful one. Now, more and more studies are showing that it’s important to invest time, money, and energy in boosting workplace morale and promoting an upbeat corporate culture. It can be difficult to balance these efforts with staying on task and productive, but walking that line is often the secret to the success of many great companies.
Communication and acknowledgment of a job well done are the key components to building, maintaining and improving an office culture. The more personalized the communication and the more public the acknowledgment is, the better. Fortunately, as the trend toward nurturing work environments has led to a demand for employee recognition software, and enterprising programmers have created fun, easy, and inventive ways to design and deploy appreciation across your network. Here are some of the very newest and very best platforms to consider.
Fond
Fond is a program used by some major companies like Levi’s and Delta Dental. One of its points of pride is its ease of use, both for the administrators responsible for setting it up and patrolling it and for employees accessing perks. Perhaps its biggest selling point is its built-in rewards program. Because of their scale, they have partnerships with many retailers like Sonos, Hertz Rental Cars, and AMC Theatres. Fond can build in incentives and bonuses right into their interface. The programs can all be customized to the company’s specifications with different choices of perks to offer.
Bucketlist
Bucketlist is designed for companies in the 500 to 1000-employee mid-to-large size range. Its distinction is that it focuses its reward system on “experiential” perks. Users can request their own rewards based on their life goals and needs. Bucketlist uses a points system, where managers can give points out for everything from birthdays to recruitment bonuses. The employee can bank up points and choose from several areas of interest. Categories include nature, exercise, travel, and online courses that can help them learn a new skill or hobby. For example, they could redeem points to learn how to take better pictures, cook new recipes, or learn specific software programs, which could be a win-win for your company.
While the items are broken up into somewhat broad categories, Bucketlist makes suggestions based on a series of questions about life goals that are personal and customized to the employee. These are truly experiential, like “get in shape,” “see Europe,” or even “get married.” This makes Bucketlist a very unique recognition and retention tool, as people aren’t rewarded with fruit baskets or gift cards to stores they may or may not use. They are putting their points towards something they truly want or need. On the backend, Bucketlist also offers detailed reporting, and team building event coordination, which can be set up for employees to share their bonding experience on social media platforms.
Kudos
Kudos’ clever slogan says it all: “Thank different.” Like Bucketlist, it also works with a point system and includes customizable badges that can be given out for work anniversaries, certification completions, or pretty much any other reason. Its rewards are customizable, but more focused on digital gift cards. That said, local and global companies can be selected, making it more meaningful for your location. Another key feature of Kudos is its flexibility of integration across nearly every desktop and mobile operating system, as well as interfacing with social media platforms like LinkedIn and Google+. Taking care of and retaining good employees is good business. Any of these programs will help with this in an easy and modern way.
