Common Mistakes - Employee Rewards Program

The best employee reward and recognition programs are the ones that have clear goals, and well-defined rewards schemes, and are implemented frequently enough that employees feel the appreciation they deserve. This often drives up business results and makes a surprising difference in employee retention rates. To put it succinctly: employee recognition is a crucial step that yields significant benefits for your team, your company, and your overall work environment.

There’s always a flip side to the coin and while we’ve talked about the things that can go right when a rewards program is implemented well, there are plenty of things that can go wrong when you don’t make full use of your recognition strategies.

Here are some of the top pitfalls to avoid in your employee recognition.

1. Not recognising in a way that’s visible enough

The importance of rewarding culture is most keenly felt when it’s publicly visible. If no one knows about it, the impact isn’t fully felt, and this will take the wind out of your rewarding sails. To fully maximize the benefits of employee rewards and recognition programs, employ the simple step of ensuring that it reaches as many people as possible. Consider options like having a dedicated section in a weekly e-newsletter, or incorporating the usage of an online points system or message board. 

2. You’re going too long between gifting (and not everyone’s getting a shot!)

If you really want to boost the everyday morale of your people, you have to start by acknowledging even the smallest of positive actions. This will also lessen the chance of having people feel overlooked if they’re not at the very top of the performing stack. Having more frequent recognition will allow everyone in your team to have a turn at feeling included and valued, and this in turn will help to increase the productivity of your team as a whole. 

3. You’re lacking a personal touch

Appreciating and acknowledging the individuality of every team member in your company can go a long way – but can also be a hard thing to do the bigger your company grows, and the more people you start to hire. Having individual contributors bring their own unique value to the table is something you’d want, but when it happens, how do you avoid having a one-size-fits-all approach that can easily come across as insincere?

Making your employees feel special can be as simple as addressing a gift with their name, but to go the extra mile, you can even pick out corporate gift cards online within a specific category that you know they’ll enjoy (yes, we said categories, not brands. GIFTA’s Australian gift cards can help with that), and attach a photo or video greeting to seal the deal.

4. Your rewards aren’t carrying the value or impact you’re looking for

There can be many facets to a choice reward, but ideally, your reward system will be one that can shape and craft the lives of your employees not just in work – but in their personal lives as well. The productivity of your team members doesn’t just come from the 9-5 on the workday, it comes from their entire person as a whole.

Encouraging and empowering your staff to pursue their hobbies and passions will make an impact that’s possibly bigger than you might’ve imagined. GIFTA’s custom corporate gift cards offer hundreds of Australia’s top retailers and include brands that’ll speak to every type of person. 

From the indoor couch-lovers cozy with our entertainment gift card featuring Kayo, Xbox and Google Play, to the outdoors fans pursuing their next escapade with our Travel & Adventure swap card (with Redballoon, Adrenaline, and Kathmandu). Corporate gift card ideas with GIFTA are specially catered to suit every person, passion project, and life goal you can think of.

To learn more about our gifting ideas, click here! Strategies for Effective Team Building and How to Build a Cohesive Team

With GIFTA, when you buy corporate gift cards as a reward, you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

GIFTA’s corporate branded gift cards come personalised with your own company logo, and branding (you can even add a photo or video message to go with it). The added benefit of incorporating some of the best digital gift cards into your rewards scheme would be a perfectly seamless, end-to-end experience.

When you send gift cards online with us, we set up a personalized corporate portal just for your business where you can create, track, and send all of your custom corporate prepaid cards in a single centralized place. With changing times and budgets, it’s beneficial to pick a rewarding solution that’s as scalable and flexible as you need it to be. Plug and play, GIFTA’s corporate e-gift cards move with you (and they feel totally custom-made too).

Sometimes, you need the added layer of a physical gift to hand away during extra special ceremonies, so we’re leaving the choice in your hands. We’ve got both physical and electronic gift card options available, so you can either schedule your online gift cards to arrive whenever you want them, or have a gift to personally hand off to prize winners.

Our ultimate swap card keeps things fresh and allows your team to pick any brand across any category that piques their interest. Being an active encouraging factor in your team members’ personal lives will show that you care about their interests outside of work – and ultimately, that you care for them as an individual.

Corporate gift cards for employees can serve the dual purpose of having a personalised gift, but also one that ticks as many boxes as possible. Easy to organise and thrilling to receive, our corporate gift cards are a seamless addition to your corporate gifting artillery.

We’ve got a specialized 24/7 support team ready to help you with any questions you might have when you start gifting with our Australian gift cards online. Visit our Corporate Enquiries page and fill out the form to instantly get set up. We’re the best when it comes to gifting and rewarding, and we know you’ll soon see why.

If you’ve got more questions on how to send gift cards online with us, we’re happy to help!