Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 21, 2014 April 21, 2014 14 FEATURES FEATURES RECOGNITION Great job – now get your passport ready Group getaways can be appealing reward for top-performing employees By Irmy Shaw A n all-expenses paid trip or a gift? Often, employ- ees pick travel because it gives them a break from the demands of the offi ce, a chance to develop camaraderie with col- leagues and to be recognized by senior management. 5 steps to planning a trip Most importantly, travel is a great way to motivate employees. Here are fi ve easy steps to plan a reward incentive trip: Decide on the purpose: Start by determining the purpose. Gen- erally, an incentive trip should motivate employees to achieve company goals, whether they are short- or long-term. Ask yourself, what are your company's most pressing needs — and how can you tailor the program to address and solve those problems? e most com- mon business goals are increasing sales and profi ts, introducing new company products and services and retaining employees. Other goals may include: •gaining a bigger market share •increasing productivity •boosting morale •building customer loyalty •fostering collaboration and innovation •recognition for employee performance. Decide how to motivate em- ployees: e best way to motivate people is to establish simple per- formance measurement targets. Be specifi c about what employ- ees should achieve. For example, "Increase sales by X per cent in X amount of time" or "Improve cus- tomer service." Employees should clearly know what they have to achieve throughout the year to be consid- ered for a reward incentive trip. Year-round, set achievable goals and targets that can be easily mea- sured and tracked. e temptation is to set the goal high to create buzz and excite- ment, but if it's too high, there's a risk employees may not be able to reach it. eir motivation might drop because of unrealistic goals. Conversely, if targets are too low, too many employees will qualify for the reward. People will be motivated when they know what is being asked or expected of them. Consider a tiered reward system so every- one has something they can work towards. Smaller gifts and prizes can be awarded to people who showed some improvement, while the highest achievers are eligible for the trip. Don't forget, a reward incen- tive trip isn't just for employees. Depending on the budget, a com- pany could consider including family members who have been an integral part of the employee's success. And if there are business meet- ings that are not open to guests, plan alternative activities such as golfi ng or spa treatments to keep the family busy. Communicate, report regu- larly: Once you've figured out the performance measurement system, develop a communica- tions plan to get the word out to employees. Good communication will make all the diff erence to the uptake of the incentive program. Regularly report on the prog- ress — and if it looks like em- ployees may not be able to reach targets, consider reoccurring training. If necessary, provide ongoing support tools and resources to help employees reach their goals — additional training, coaching, marketing and sales collateral. ere isn't a one-size-fi ts-all solution but if done right and communicated properly, you will create buzz and motivate employees. Set the budget: e next step, often done in tandem with the fi rst two, is setting a budget. e general rule is companies should set aside one per cent of overall sales for reward programs. But that amount could fl uctuate. For example, if a company is celebrat- ing a milestone anniversary, the budget may be unusually large. The big costs are accommo- dation, entertainment, trans- portation, food and beverages, activities, events, room gifts and awards. But don't forget market- ing and communications, admin- istration, training and research. Consider outsourcing: Plan- ning group travel is a lot of work and it requires staff to wear mul- tiple hats. One day a person is a sales manager, the next an event planner. Switching back and forth, and learning new informa- tion, can eat up a lot of time and resources. Incentive travel companies can help, giving your staff more time to focus on the important aspects of the business and leaving rou- tine, time-consuming tasks — such as booking hotels, checking fl ight times and hotel costs — to the experts. Travel companies can also plan customized experiences that aren't available to the general public, and the entertainment and activities can be tailor-made to refl ect a company's particular corporate culture and organiza- tional goals. An incentive travel company also has buying power based on volume and can negotiate lower prices with preferred suppliers. Outside companies can also help with on-the-ground logis- tics and provide 24-7 assistance outside of offi ce hours. at way, someone outside your organiza- tion can see the big picture, steer you when you go off -course and manage those small details that make a big diff erence. Irmy Shaw is manager of incentives at AMA Travel, Alberta Motor Associa- tion (AMA), the Alberta affi liate of the Canadian Automobile Association. She can be reached at (780) 430-5683, irmy.shaw@ama.ab.ca or, for more in- formation, visit www.ama.ab.ca. Consider a tiered reward system. Smaller gifts can be awarded to people who showed some improvement, while the highest achievers are eligible for the trip. DISABILITY MANAGEMENT Bringing people back to work Gaps in support persist for employees with mental health issues By Louise Chénier I n Canada, mental health is- sues contribute signifi cantly to absenteeism, which is expensive for employers and employees. e annual cost to the economy is estimated at more than $16 billion, accord- ing to the Conference Board of Canada. To reduce this expense, employ- ers need to better understand the root causes of the absences and address the underlying issues. For many employers, men- tal health is the leading cause of short- and long-term disability leaves. e average length of the leave is higher for mental health- related leaves — or when mental health issues co-exist with physi- cal health issues — than for physi- cal health issues alone. Yet signifi cant gaps still exist when it comes to how organiza- tions approach mental health is- sues, according to a 2013 report by the Conference Board of Can- ada. Employers continue to place a greater emphasis on physical health and well-being than pro- viding support for employees' psychological health and safety. is gap is evident in the kinds of preventive programs off ered, the types of early intervention practices implemented and the supportive programs and prac- tices in place to help employees return to the workplace as quickly and safely as possible after a leave of absence. Prevention Canadian employers have begun to expand wellness programs to include mental health and well- being. More than one-half (53 per cent) off er programs, services or benefi ts that support employees' mental health and wellness, ac- cording to the report, Disability Management: Opportunities for Employer Action. However, these programs remain less common than those that support employ- ees' physical well-being (61 per cent). Intervention Almost one-quarter of employees on a health-related leave of ab- sence from work had diffi culties obtaining the right medical treat- ment when they fi rst experienced their health issue, according to the study, which had 2,004 partici- pants, including 727 individuals who supervised or managed other employees. Employees with a mental health issue are signifi cantly more likely to experience diffi culties getting the right medical treatment than those with physical health issues. To rectify this, employers should implement programs and practices that enable employees to receive more timely treatment to better support those with mental health issues — and help them remain in the workplace. For in- stance, employers could ensure benefi t plans off er easy and suf- fi cient access to treatment and other care programs. Overall, about one-third (31 per cent) of employees believe having the right medical treatment at the start of their health condition would have prevented them from taking a leave of absence, found the 2013 study. Among employ- ees with mental health issues, an even greater proportion (35 per cent) believed an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan would have enabled them to avoid a leave of absence. Returning to work ere is a perception that employ- ees who have been off work as a Credit: Kamira/Shutterstock.com VARIED > pg. 18

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