Incentive - June 2008 - (Page 56)

Speaking Their Language were communicating primarily in English, so we “The idea is to capture the identified this as a defiessence of what you want to nite opportunity,” says communicate rather than Dan Bidelspach, senior director of training for simply changing the words Ohio-based from one language to another.“ Columbus,Inn. “The leadRed Roof ership council was given the task of updating our Think RED (Responsible Employees Deliver) recognition program, so that it would motivate a more multicultural range of employees. Working with Marketing Innovators, they developed a very successful bilingual program that rolled out in 2006.” Think RED is targeted at Red Roof Inn’s line-level employees at the 240 corporate-owned properties around the United States (350 total in the chain), including housekeepers, maintenance personnel, and guest service representatives. The point-based program rewards both individual and team performance. For example, the whole team at a Red Roof Inn might receive points when guest survey numbers are high, while individuals are rewarded for achievements such as meeting attendance standards. The revamped Think RED program communicates with employees in English and Spanish on multiple levels. All paper and online communication is in both languages. To ensure there are no comprehension mistakes, Bidelspach has enlisted the help of a translation company to do “not just the actual word translation, but to interpret effectively.” Designed by Marketing Innovators, the Web site enables individuals to pick the stores or restaurants where they want to redeem their points. Employees then receive a gift card. There is also an 800 number for workers who aren’t computer literate, which is staffed by people fluent in both languages. Next up, the company is looking into placing kiosks in a central location, such as a cafeteria, to serve employees who don’t otherwise have access to a computer. ethnic groups with an already strong work ethic ingrained in them. In this case, the messaging might change, because you don’t want to insult them. Communication becomes a balancing act. Cultural perspective is also a key to success when choosing awards for a bilingual/multicultural recognition program. What is the award really going to be worth to the individual and will it motivate them? Along with feedback on effective communication, this is another valuable use for Scotiabank’s language/culture-based steering committee, according to Carlson Marketing’s Jennifer Trant, who as director of client services in the Toronto office is helping to expand the bank’s program internationally. “Understanding what will motivate and what the different preferences are is crucial in this situation,” she says. “For instance, we Canadians are bonkers for hockey, but in Trinidad and Tobago, cricket is huge. There, VIP tickets to an international cricket tournament is something people would be very interested in winning.” Economic leveling across different countries also comes into play. “Ask yourself, ‘What is a unit of recognition worth?’ The meaning of a $200 award in the United States is very different than a $200 award in India,” says Rick Blabolil. When planning a global multilingual program, he recommends executives look at what the value of the activity being incentivized is to the company, then calculate it for each country involved. “For instance,” he says, “this activity is worth one percent of the employee’s income in either place.” Standard marketing strategies are useful when it comes to finding effective awards. Marketing Innovators routinely does a focus group on the subject before any action is taken on putting together the award package. “We ask what is attractive to them, in the way of retailers for a gift card and with specific options they might want to receive,” says Blabolil. “A good example of that with our Hispanic audience is including tickets to concerts or special events that will truly energize them specifically.” Perhaps the most important thing to remember with a bilingual program is not to rush it. “When getting into program design, executives need to make sure they “When getting are allowing proper time to execute in different into program languages,” says design, executives Carlson’s Trant. “From a need to make tactical point of view, you need to build an evolving sure they are time line that allows for allowing proper effective translation. And, time to execute from a strategic point of view, you want to have in different enough time to engage languages.” stakeholders.” s SPECIAL SECTION Cross-Cultural Perspectives Just as Scotiabank’s Kim Moseley discovered, Rick Blabolil’s experience with bilingual programs revealed cultural sensitivities to be as significant as communication nuances. “It is an area we are still exploring,” he says. “Even with the convergence of cultures we see in the U.S., there are differences that can be very subtle, but substantial.” For example, he notes, half a workforce may not be performing at their potential, so a major program goal would be to motivate them to work harder. In the total audience, though, there may be some 56 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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