2007 May Q2 Issue   Industry News: New Name To Match Recognition Changes Industry Trends: The Changing Face of Recognition News and Enhancements at Hallmark Insights Incentive News and Trends brought to you by Hallmark Insights 800.765.4438 Hallmark Insights will be closed on the following dates: Memorial Day Holiday - Monday, May 28 Independence Day - Wednesday, July 4 JUNE is National Safety Awareness Month and June 4-8 concentrates on the workplace. It's an opportunity to promote safety and reward employees for reaching safety goals. Case Studies White Papers National Merchants Incentive Industry Purchase/Manage Account Send us your ideas for future articles! INDUSTRY NEWS: New Name To Match Recognition Changes Recognition Professionals International (RPI) is the new name of the National Association For Employee Recognition (NAER). The announcement of a new name for this organization was a welcome surprise at the recent Savannah conference. The former name (NAER) reflected a national membership base and attention only on employee recognition. NAER is now RPI - Recognition Professionals International. They are still an international non-profit association of employers existing to "study, develop and promote systems that enhance employee engagement and performance through employee recognition". But now they have a name that better reflects the ever-evolving global membership base and how the recognition needs of its members goes beyond employee recognition. return to top INDUSTRY TRENDS: The Changing Face of Recognition By Michael Felton-O'Brien Shifting demographics and employee lifestyles challenge employers to keep tabs on the varying preferences and groups in today's expanding workforce. Analysts in the rewards and recognition marketplace are forecasting a very strong year in 2007, and that means businesses will be even more focused on providing a culture of recognition as part of the core of their business strategy. "Research is leading us to a new concept that the employee is actually a profit center as opposed to a cost center," says Karen Renk, executive director of the Naperville, IL-based Incentive Marketing Association. "And so that is the foundation for a business case for companies investing in a recognition program." But as the face of the employee continues to change demographically, executives must decide how best to reward and recognize groups of workers who have very different wants and needs. While anecdotal evidence suggests each demographic group responds to different types of incentives and motivation efforts, experts agree that finding the right reward for each demographic is paramount to increasing a company's productivity. "Regardless of one's age, sex or nationality- or even if they work in the office next door for from their home in the next time zone- everyone wants to feel that how they're spending the bulk of their waking hours makes a difference," says organizational behavior expert and author Bob Nelson. "To let them know doesn't require a lot of time or effort [even when targeting rewards to the changing demographic tastes and needs], but does have an amazing impact on their willingness to do more." Through extensive interviews and research, Human Resource Executive® has come up with four key demographic changes that recognition and HR experts and practitioners need to be aware of to best manage today's and tomorrow's employees. Non-English-Speaking Recipients Younger Workers Older Workers Telecommuters Click here to read the article in its entirety. return to top NEWS AND ENHANCEMENTS AT HALLMARK INSIGHTS RPI Certified Recognition Professional On Staff Hallmark Insights is proud to publicize that one of our marketing managers, Michele Grant, is now a Certified Recognition Professional- one of only (approximately) 40 in the country. Michele successfully completed her coursework at the recent RPI conference in Savannah. RPI is the only association offering Certified Recognition Professional, (CRP) curriculum. We thank Michele for her commitment and dedication. Hallmark Business Expressions We are proud to feature a link to our sister company, Hallmark Business Expressions, on HallmarkInsights.com, our corporate web site. Hallmark Business Expressions is one of the many innovative business-to-business offerings provided by Hallmark Business Solutions. Hallmark Business Expressions, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards Inc., helps businesses cultivate relationships using greeting cards to effectively communicate with customers, prospects, employees and other business associates. Serving a wide variety of companies in a wide range of industries, from the Fortune 100 to small businesses, Hallmark Business Expressions provides distinctive ways to stay in touch and make a lasting impression. The company offers a full line of Everyday and Holiday business greeting cards and a variety of personalization and mailing services at www.BusinessGreetings.com. For customers who require a unique greeting card to meet a specific business objective, Hallmark Business Expressions offers custom design services and program management from product creation through production and fulfillment/mailing. Product Spotlight: Add Flexibility To Your Incentive Program With HighFive™ Award And Spanish Format Lower-cost options represent an untapped potential in the incentive marketplace. The HighFive™ Award is a fun, informal award that can be used for on-the-spot employee recognition or to thank customers for their business. Findings from the 2006 Gift Card and Certificate FACTS Report indicate that more than 10 percent of the respondents* spend less than $25 on gift cards and certificates per recipient. Benefits: $5 denomination provides customers with opportunities to increase frequency of on-the-spot recognition at a lower cost Designed to work within existing incentive programs simply and easily Redemption flexibility for recipients, as they may accumulate awards over time and redeem them for higher-priced items More trophy value than a gift card alone and a wide range of merchant selections Hallmark Insights speaks to language diversity in a global workforce. A Spanish-language format offers customers both merchant choice and language flexibility, improving accessibility for employees of different cultures and languages. This bilingual award, order form and web site format is designed to serve one of the fastest growing groups in the U.S. - the Latino population. According to 2000 U.S. Census data, one of ten working adults in the U.S. speak Spanish as their native language, with an expected growth rate to 18 percent by the year 2010. The web site offers Spanish-speaking recipients the option to redeem a Premiere Choice® Award and Reward Choice® Certificate the same way as their English-speaking counterparts. At the respective web sites, they will simply select the button that will prompt them through the redemption process in their native language. Features: An order system that lets you enter Spanish letters and accent marks for recipients' names and personal messages Redemption instructions delivered with the award in English and Spanish An online redemption page that resets from English to Spanish with one mouse click Bilingual confirmation emails Spanish-speaking Customer Service Consultants This is an exciting first step into what we hope will improve our access to other high-use language formats in the future. To learn more about the HighFive Award or Spanish Format, click here, or call 800.765.4438 to speak with a customer service representative. * Survey was conducted among nearly 600 executives, sales and marketing/merchandising managers and directors using gift cards and certificates for their incentive programs. return to top     © 2007 Hallmark Insights. All rights reserved.