Incentive - June 2008 - (Page 48)

One Size Does Not Fit All Generation Motivation “Look at a program that has to be developed, and understand that the cookie-cutter approach does not work. To really do it right, the program has to be designed for your organizations’ goals and initiatives, and also needs to provide the right feedback measurements to gauge effectiveness.” —Michael A. Fina, vice president of Michael C. Fina, a corporate employee and recognition programs company opment plans, and most important they want to be recognized in ways that are meaningful to them. As we slice and dice the different generations, those factors are important to all groups. Interestingly, what is happening is that the Gen Y (Millennials) phenomenon is acting as a catalyst for the needs of the workers that have been there for a long time. ” One group that is successfully bridging the gap between its different generations of workers is the Integrated Nylon Business division of Solutia Inc. Working with the team at the Walt Disney World Resort, the St. Louis-based producer of performance materials developed a compelling event at the Grand Floridian this past February that appealed to all the attendees, ranging in age from their early 30s to mid-50s, not to mention the little ones they also had in tow. “We chose Disney because Jonathon Wright, president of the Integrated Nylon division, thought it would be an awesome idea to involve families,” says Barbara Scnelle, who helped organize the event. “What better place for everyone to enjoy themselves than the Walt Disney World Resort, which truly offers something for everyone. It was also a great opportunity for the different employees to get together and discuss strategy.” Over the course of their stay, Solutia Inc. employees participated in business sessions, enjoyed recreational pursuits like playing golf and relaxing in the spa, and bonded during the teambuilding activity, Pluto’s Pursuit at the Disney Institute, which encouraged creative collaboration across all ages. “This is the first time in history where there are four generations in the workforce. At the same time, we understand the generation types and how they want to be recognized,” says Anne Hamilton, vice president of resort sales and services for the Walt Disney World Resort, who leads the team responsible for the efforts related to meetings, conventions and incentive programs. “Managing a multigenerational workforce is a very relevant topic because it is at the forefront of what companies have to address as they design incentive programs. From a company standpoint, Disney has to create products and services that speak to the different generations.” For Harith Wicrema, president of Harith Productions, a special events company in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, creating relevancy for each of the generations in an incentive program starts with trying to satisfy all interests. “It is important to offer a variety of activities that have a broad appeal,” he says. One year, for a Top Achievers program of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Wicrema chose the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas as the site to bring together the group whose participants included everyone from drivers in their twenties to managers in their fifties. The week featured an array of activities from water skiing and catamaran rides to non-motorized activities. “The end result was that participants walked away from the program knowing that management gave them an experience that recognized their hard work,” says Wicrema. Custom solutions Homing in on preferences is the lynchpin for the successful execution of incentive and recognition programs, regardless of whether an employee is a Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, GenXer or Millennial. “Looking at recognition, you can’t lose sight of the individual, and that motivation is inherently an individual thing,” says Van Dyke. “The more we can do to empower managers with training, education and the tools to help understand what motivates employees, the better they will be able to use the information.” After assessing one cosmetic company’s rewards campaign for an audience of 30,000 retail sales associates, the Maritz team realized that it needed a major overhaul. “For a long time, the program featured the traditional awards of statues and logoed items,” says Van Dyke. “But the employee population was made up of generations of younger workers, so we helped them realize that they were investing their dollars in the wrong place and implemented a new program featuring a breadth of award items.” Others agree that offering custom solutions and choice is the most effective way to recognize the multigenerational workforce. “The big challenge for managers is that there is no short-hand formula. There is not one type of incentive strategy for each of the different generations. You don’t have incentive systems for older people or incentives exclusively for young upstarts. You don’t try to understand Hispanic women in the workplace, and then come up with new compensation just for Hispanic women. That is absurd and illegal,” says Tulgan. As with many diversity issues, awareness is important. Knowing a workforce’s demographics allows managers to implement initiatives such as employee recognition more effectively. However, any broad-based assumptions have no place in a program. “There is a need to convince managers that a one-size approach doesn’t work, and that customization is the future of rewards and incentives,” says Tulgan. “The real trick is figuring out what people want and finding ways to help them earn it.” s SPECIAL SECTION 48 JUNE 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - June 2008

Incentive - June 2008 Contents Editor’s Note In The News Cover Story: Seventh Annual Industry Roundtable Incentive Interview Case Study Soft Incentives Empowerment and Engagement The Incentive Career Incentive Primer Travel News: Where To Go and What To Do The Cook Islands Field Report: Bermuda Potentials: Here and Now 50 Top Motivators: The Best of the Best Electronics: High-end Audio Equipment Gift Cards: Should One Be Enough? Advertiser Index Off The Cuff

Incentive - June 2008

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