Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 18, 2016 16 FEATURES HR Manager's Guide to Employment Files and Information Management: Legislation and Best Practices uniquely addresses the management of all types of employee information throughout the employment lifecycle, from recruitment to termination. Employment information and documentation management carries legal requirements that protect an organization from litigation, and are essential to the creation of sound policies for efficient, effective, and ethical business practices. Easy to read and understand, this new guide provides Human Resources professionals and others who deal with employee files, either electronically or in paper format, with: • Key legislation and emerging case law • Best practices in the areas of privacy, records retention, human resources information systems (HRIS), and information security • Practical guidance, tools and templates, such as sample policies • Information on all Canadian jurisdictions Know your legal obligations in managing employee files Available risk-free for 30 days Order online: www.carswell.com Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Order # 986618-65203 $70 Softcover approx. 100 pages April 2015 978-0-7798-6618-2 Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. 00228VC-A49657-E98872 New Publication HR Manager's Guide to Employment Files and Information Management: Legislation and Best Practices A Canadian HR Reporter Special Report Howard A. Levitt, B.A., LL.B., and Tanya Neitzert, B.A., CHRP Brought to you by: RECOGNITION Making for a great experience Spa visits and sports games can go a long way in employee recognition By Christopher Vyse I n our consumer-driven so- ciety, a growing number of medium- and higher income recipients literally "have every- thing." is is where experiential awards can play a big role. To address these "wants," travel and other experiential awards are becoming extremely popular award choices. For a football fa- natic, it could be an all-inclusive trip to the Super Bowl or the World Cup — depending on her brand of football. It could be a trip to Disney World for an entire fam- ily or a day to relax at the spa. e memories created by these experiences reinforce employees' great work and go a long way to- wards thanking their families for the time and sacrifice that drove their success. Why are experiential awards growing in popularity? • Award value — almost exclu- sively, experiential recognition awards are perceived as high value. • Wants versus needs — experien- tial awards address wants. • Sharing — spouses and family members can share in the great work celebration. • Lasting memories — photos and videos create lasting memories, extending the duration of the award experience. e average cost per employee for experiential awards can vary from $150 for a hotel stay to $5,000 for a recreational trip. And the variety of experiential awards is virtually limitless: • sporting events — regional and global • travel, hotel and vacation stays • spa and health-related stays for physical and mental well-being. • lifestyle and hobby experiences such as fishing, golfing, driving sports cars • team-building events — to rec- ognize and support work teams. • mentoring — giving successful, high-potential employees time with senior executives and forg- ing mentoring relationships. • volunteering — supported with paid time off. Experiential awards work best for above-and-beyond perfor- mance recognition because they typically do not qualify for fa- vourable tax treatment in a long- service recognition program. But cost savings may be achievable using experiential awards. For example, giving an em- ployee time off to volunteer or the opportunity to be mentored by a senior executive can result in re- duced direct costs to a company. Case study A high-tech company moved to experiential awards and away from cash awards. It found non- cash awards triggered deeper positive emotional responses — employees focused on their expe- rience and memories instead of the dollar value. To further prove its case, the company tested experiential awards versus monetary rewards. One employee participant group received cash awards while a sec- ond group received experiential awards. e results: e experi- mental group was much hap- pier — 28 per cent happier — and they stayed with their employer longer than their colleagues who received just money. Creating a strategy Exceptional cash and stock awards are still an important part of an incentive compensation and recognition award mix, but how awards are perceived by recipients is just as important as their dollar value. Employees value choice when it comes to awards. For maximum impact, an awards strategy should embrace an "and" strategy and in- corporate brand-name merchan- dise, gift cards, electronic gift cards, country-specific vouchers, travel and entertainment, expe- riential awards, symbolic awards and even charitable donations. Each award type serves differ- ent purposes in building a mean- ingful recognition strategy and, in turn, ensuring employees feel truly appreciated. While employees value choice, the awards they select aren't nec- essarily ones they would buy for themselves — essentially, they desire an award catalogue that conveys a feeling of pampering, indulgence and luxury. And when it comes to recogni- tion, employees care about three things: a thank-you, an award experience and a personalized presentation. A thank-you makes employees feel appreciated. Combining a thank-you with an award experi- ence makes an employee feel even more appreciated. And adding a personalized ex- perience for a combination of all three has the biggest impact. To ensure recipients receive a thank-you with a personalized presentation, it's about investing in leadership development training for supervisors and managers to: •ensure meaningful, purposeful presentations. •retain top talent •deliver on the promise of recognition •build team connections. Finally, don't forget to com- municate. Publicize a recognition program's launch and provide pe- riodic updates. It is critical that managers and staff understand why the orga- nization is recognizing, which means providing a high-level business case, talking about what behaviours are being recognized and explaining what tools and help are available. A robust recognition strategy that achieves significant business impact includes experiential awards as a component of the overall award approach. But don't forget to say thank-you and make the effort to do a personalized rec- ognition presentation. Christopher Vyse is vice-president of recognition and strategy at O.C. Tan- ner in Burlington, Ont. For more infor- mation, visit www.octanner.com.

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