The Employee Recognition Problem: My CCO's Take On What's Broken (& How to Fix It)

My boss, Nat Salvione, has spent over 20 years in the gift card industry. And as you can tell from this Fireside Chat with MustardHub CEO Curtis Forbes, he’s still genuinely excited about it (and trust me, it’s contagious!)

He’s seen first hand, time and again, why rewards work the best (even better than cash bonuses). Specifically, digital rewards.

A key insight? Employees will remember the gift cards you send them.

Nat referenced landmark studies that show the majority of people who receive a gift card will not only remember who gave it to them, but also what they did to earn it, and what they spent it on—sometimes even decades later!

The mind-blower? Most companies are doing employee rewards and recognition wrong. (Nat says he'd rate most at about 1 out of 10 😬).

For one, companies don’t celebrate their existing employees the same way new hires are celebrated.

Nat
💬“Just browse through your Linkedin feed — you’re going to see people in your network with a photo of their “new hire” pack: their water bottle, their shirt, their laptop, and how excited they are to join this company," say Nat. "But how many people are celebrating another year, or an average moment?”

Most companies treat recognition like a corporate project instead of using it as an opportunity to understand the individuals that work for them, and what motivates them.

So, what is effective?

Nat's philosophy is refreshingly human-centered: whether you have a full-time employee, contractor, or remote worker, if someone is adding value to your organization, you should recognize them.

At work (and at home…and also sometimes publicly 😅) I’m often talking about the importance of de-centering. De-center yourself (or your business) from your messaging, content, and product. Always make the audience the ‘main character’. Well, it turns out the best incentive programs work the same way!

Ideally, recognition should be owned by managers who actually know their team members. A good tip is to use frequent, small rewards, and to let employees choose what they actually want (ideally from a full global gift card catalog).

Of course, it’s great to celebrate new hires, but don’t forget work anniversaries and other milestones with your more seasoned vets and quiet contributors.

The bottom line? What Nat and Curtis call ‘operationally efficient gratitude’ is possible with the right tools in place, and it starts with caring about people as individuals, not as a "program."

Plus, if it’s not easy to send and track employee rewards, and/or if they come with added costs or wacky contracts, then they’re going to fall by the wayside. That’s why Nat’s spent his career championing simple yet effective gift card platforms and APIs.

Want to learn more about how Giftbit can help you achieve operational efficient gratitude at scale? Connect with Nat on LinkedIn, or book some time to chat with our team.