Incentive - June 2008 - (Page 54)

Diversity Rules The HR Guide to Recognition & Incentives Speaking Their Language Globalization combined with an increasing percentage of Hispanics in the U.S. workforce are spurring more companies to create bilingual—and even multilingual— programs By Heidi Waldrop Bay In English, Scotiabank’s employee recognition program is “Scotia Applause”; in French, it is “Scotia Bravo.” But the bilingual nature of the program just begins there. “It is not about force fitting an English program into another language, but building an authentic bilingual effort that makes people feel truly appreciated,” says Kim Moseley, director of local marketing and employee reward and recognition for the Toronto-based financial organization. “We say it is ‘transcreation’ over translation and adaptation. The idea is to capture the essence of what you want to communicate rather than simply changing the words from one language to another. If you make a mistake that is offensive, employees will be dismissive, so you want to demonstrate respect right up front.” Beyond the nuance of word meaning, she also pays attention to images. “We have often found that humor can be miscommunicated, but also things which you don’t normally consider,” she explains, remembering the near choice of a stuffed frog as a gift in Peru, before discovering frogs have negative associations in that region. To address such cultural sensitivities, Moseley’s team puts together a steering committee with members from the target audience to act as a sounding board on both communications and rewards. Launched in 2001, Scotiabank’s recognition program has since rolled out across Canada to the financial institution’s 35,000 employees (10 percent French-speaking). It has been so effective that the company is expanding the program to its other 25,000 employees around the world—beginning with the Caribbean and Latin America next year. The point-based program provides four opportunities for employee recognition: the peer-to-peer certificate; an award from the branch manager for outstanding customer service, project achievement, and the like; the team award given quarterly for similar achievements; and the annual “Best of the Best” award. All communication components are in both languages, from the Web site and newsletters to the peer certificates. When participants start the program, they select their language preference. The experiences and lessons gleaned from the initial Canadian phase of the Scotiabank program will guide the company as it moves into its global employee recognition efforts. Two key strategies, according to Moseley, have been Scotiabank’s partnership with Carlson Marketing, “which means we have consistency as we roll out the program,” and the dedicated group of translators within the bank’s ranks “knows the program and can maintain the integrity of whatever is translated.” Thinking Broadly A more diverse workforce within the United States is also demanding a wider consideration of languages and cultures when it comes to employee recognition best practices. “We don’t have to go outside the borders of the U.S. to understand the impact. The increase in the Hispanic workforce has made bilingual recognition programs imperative,” says Rick Blabolil, president of Chicago-based Marketing Innovators International, which has worked with Red Roof Inn on one such initiative. In 2005, as Red Roof Inn executives charged the leadership council (potential general managers) with its project for the year, they realized that their employee demographics had been shifting. “Our Hispanic workforce was increasing and we SPECIAL SECTION 54 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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