UPDATE 9/19/2011: This site is "abandoned" - sort of. This site will remain "live" but not updated. I have a NEW site at http://wphebert.com - same great bat content - new bat channel. When this site started in 2006 I (we) were new to the whole blogging thing. We decided at that point to go with something easy and quick to get started. We chose typepad for it's ease of use and speedy setup. It's... Continue reading

That’s right – oxygen is good for you. In fact if you don’t have it you die. Oxygen is critical for: Breathing Living Cleaning tough stains out of your laundry (ask Billy Mays) Now that you know about oxygen – go breathe some and feel better. And then repeat. Stay tuned – ‘cuz next week I’m gonna say the same thing but in reverse order. Recognition and Rewards Drive Engagement Yup, got it. Oh, you... Continue reading

Reading is so 2010. Listening is all the rage now with kids. You need to jump on board. Over on TLNT.com today is a 26 minute podcast I did with Lance Haun (@theLance.) We cover the incentive industry, why HR is more interested in rewards today - why engagement is key to success and how that has affected how incentives and rewards are positioned. We hit on the "AIG Effect" - patriotism versus mercanaries -... Continue reading

One week from today I’ll be rolling into Sandusky, Ohio – home of Cedar Point – winner of the “Golden Ticket Award” as the best amusement park in the world and of course…the 2011 Ohio SHRM (Society of Human Resource Management) meeting. While I won’t be rollin in like Guy Fieri in a cherry 1967 Camaro SS – I will be looking for a guy who makes pizza. And that would be Steve Browne (@SBrowneHR),... Continue reading

I have about 200 or so google alerts set up to monitor the web for phrases, words, companies, ideas, whatever, to keep me informed of what's going on. I saw this the other day on Freelancer.com and I was a bit dumbstruck. Freelancer.com is a site where you can post a job and ask for bids on the job from freelancers (duh..) My alert linked me to a request from a company looking for help... Continue reading

Thinking about the “normal” incentive program process today. The “normal” process looks something like this (your mileage may vary…) Announce program with flashy four-color printed brochure – or if you live in the 2000’s an html email with a link to a website that is just as flashy. Follow up with monthly mailings – or if you live in the 2000’s a monthly html email that is just as flashy (and may include flash –... Continue reading

At least this amateur guru thinks so. (Warning – this is a longish post with some math in it.) Chatterfly – Loyalty Programs for the Local Merchant I ran across a post by Robert Scoble (read his bio on google+ here) a community builder around tech startups. The post is about a company called Chatterfly. They are introducing a new “technology” that allows local small businesses to set up loyalty programs simply and easily on... Continue reading

Been a tough weekend and I don't have anything original to add here today. But don't despaire... you can still get Incentive Intelligence goodness in two, two, two outlets today! First... Fistful Of Talent Do you practice "Moral HR?" Do you know what that is? It's doing what's right when you don't have to. Check the post on Fistful Of Talent today and weigh in. Do you think you practice moral HR - or do... Continue reading

What's been happening in the incentive and reward space you ask? Well, let's see... I, of course have posted a few times over the past weeks. There are now officially 50 "Most Engaged Workplaces" - (transparency - I was a judge.) There are 21 Endangered Employee Benefits The Enterprise Engagement Alliance has some news - (transparency - I do some social media stuff for them.) They (researchers) found that hating your job may run in... Continue reading

A few weeks back I posted on gamification. My intent on that post was to warn companies about turning a strategic recognition program into a "game." I also said gamification could be considered when looking at incentives. A great conversation followed in the comments. Take a look when you get a chance. For those that don’t click over the net-net was this... Strategic recognition isn’t a “game” and shouldn’t be positioned as such (I do,... Continue reading

Traditionally, incentive programs were designed around the idea of “do this get that.” It’s been an axiom of program design. Give people a reason to do something and they will do it. Mostly, we’ve focused on our inner Gordan Gekko and assumed participants are rational and will do the things that maximize their personal ROI on the effort required to earn an award. And, except when badly designed, these programs work pretty well. Actually, when... Continue reading

Maybe. Maybe not. Short post today on what I think are THE most important decisions you need to make when deciding whether to run an incentive program. I know I’ve said this 1,000 times (or more) but people still don’t get it. Click here or on the image and download the FREE (and no requests for your email, address, phone number, height or weight) “Incentive Decision Flowchart.” Use this EVERY time you think you need... Continue reading

Next Thursday, August 25, at 1:00 pm EDT (1300 EDT for you purists) I have the pleasure of being co-host with the Cynical Girl, Laurie Ruettimann for a LIVE webinar presenting the results of an I Love Rewards survey of HR professionals on the use of social media. Since you’re reading this I can only assume you are social media savvy (good for you!) But did you know a ton of others in HR are... Continue reading

A couple weeks ago I posted a link to our "compendium" of articles from the incentive, engagement, recognition and reward world. My initial thought was to create one each week. But that was too much work - and I'm all about reducing the "too much" part of work. So, I've just added on to the last compedium. Over time it will grow and grow... kinda like that stuff in the back of your refrigerator. This... Continue reading

Employee recognition programs have come a long way. “Management” has finally realized that engaged and thinking employees are a good thing and they’ve shuffled off the coil of the industrial revolution mindset. If my google reader is any judge of the corporate zeitgeist, many companies are instituting strategic recognition and taking the time to invest in engagement initiatives. But that shouldn’t stop us from asking more questions and testing new ideas. One that I’ve been... Continue reading

In digging through some of the posts and articles I’ve starred in my reader this morning I ran into a post I put into the pile about a year ago. March 2011 to be exact. It was on the LeadFormix blog and it was entitled: “Focus on Generating Opportunities not Leads.” You can link out to the article which isn't bad but the reason I starred it for future reference is that is made me... Continue reading

Everyone is aware (I hope) that the current economic situation is tough. As a country, we’re in debt. We continue to deficient spend. And we don’t really have any good answers on where to get more money or where to cut our current spending. Maybe I should rephrase, we can’t “agree” on where to get more money or where to cut. We all have our opinions. But this isn’t a political post – it’s about... Continue reading

Last week I started a new thing where I scour the web (well, just my RSS feeds, google alerts and twitter stuff) and provide a summary of what I think is interesting in the incentive, reward and recognition space. I'm using the service called "scoop.it." (It's in beta - and I have 10 invites - hit me in the comments if you want one.) I think (not real sure how to use the service yet...)... Continue reading

Incentive programs provide rewards for hitting specific goals. Typically, the incentive program will announce the requirements and as you perform and hit the specified hurdles, you earn awards – points, credits, what have you. Your points are good for merchandise, gift cards, travel, you name it. All good in the hood right? Maybe not. Maybe you could enhance performance by simply asking a question before you start the program. Prediction = Increased Prediction A recent... Continue reading

I had a conversation with a reward and recognition professional the other day. They asked me “what do you think of gamification in the recognition world?” The implied addition to that sentence was, “versus the incentive world.” My response... “Not good for recognition. Good for incentive.” He said – “y’know – that might make a good post.” Aaaaaannnnnnnd here we are. What is Gamification You’d have to be one of the actors in the GEICO... Continue reading

I have gone on record here that the traditional players in the incentive industry really need to think about their long-term viability. Traditional companies have seen the market get tougher and tougher as their business model get’s disintermediated squeezing margins, software vendors encroach on their space, new award options are developed by outsiders, and thought-leadership is usurped by just about everyone. All things that point to an industry resting on its laurels. Loyal readers know... Continue reading

A somewhat new service is available in beta called "Scoop.it." Scoop.it allows you to create a "newspaper" of sorts from things you find interesting on the web. I'm experimenting with the service and of course I thought of you, gentle reader. I asked myself - "what would help my readers in their day-to-day life and business." And I answered - "a grouping of articles that someone else took the time to read and evaluate so... Continue reading

Before I bore you with the details... DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING YOUR COMPANY FOR CONSIDERATION is July 31, 2011. Now that I have your attention... what deadline you ask? For what? 50 Most Engaged Workplaces What I’m referring to is the 2nd annual 50 Most Engaged Workplaces award sponsored by I Love Rewards (ILR) – a Toronto/San Francisco based reward and recognition company. Full transparency – ILR and I have collaborated in the past (and hopefully... Continue reading

I get frustrated some times as I peruse the google alerts I’ve set up for incentives, rewards, recognition and other topics related to designing and delivering great influence programs. Mostly because I continue to see bad advice being doled out over and over again. Specifically, I see incentive “professionals” telling potential clients that good incentive design requires that awards be tied to results. How else can you prove and ROI?, they state. While developing an... Continue reading