Global organizations face different challenges in recognizing their employees effectively. This SlideShare outlines nine best practices to help with global recognition strategies.

1. GOING GLOBAL?
Best practices for
global recognition
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2. GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONS
face challenges recognizing
their employees effectively

3. • Disparate programs
• Lack of support
• Little knowledge of local needs
• Concerns about equity and fairness
• Challenges managing the operational details
• Lack of information on the impact of recognition
WHY?

4. As a global organization,
how can you address
these challenges?

5. to help you design, implement, and
sustain an effective recognition
strategy that delivers local impact.
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HERE ARE
GLOBAL BEST
PRACTICES

6. Change your
vantage point
Design recognition strategies from
the outside in, not inside out.
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7. • Don’t simply take strategies developed at
headquarters and roll them out globally.
• What works in one country may not fit the
needs of another.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
...so consider all needs
before you begin.

8. 2 Build a global
stakeholder team
Engage your global stakeholders
in the discovery and design.
• Invite in local market experts from HR,
Finance, IT, Logistics, etc.
• The more they are involved the stronger
the buy-in, overall engagement, and
ongoing support.

9. • Broad global experience and expertise
• A thought leader who will guide, educate,
and at times challenge your thinking
• Delivers innovative technologies with the
ability to incorporate local needs and
nuances into your strategies and solutions
• Provides the right design, technologies,
tools, awards, and communications to create
culturally meaningful and relevant
experiences for every employee
3 Find the right partner
Look for a partner with these capabilities:
GET THE FULL CHECKLIST

10. 4 Do your homework
• Determine what your long term
goals and objectives are
• Set forth the business results
you want to impact
• Establish baseline metrics to
measure success
• Discover local needs and nuances
• Involve your global stakeholder team
• Conduct global surveys and focus groups
• Talk to local leaders, managers, and
employees

11. 4 DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Make a list of what you discover
Very familial culture— must be part of
work environment
Low retention rates
Low program usage due to limited
Internet access
Recognition seems impersonal
Limited visibility to great work
happening across the globe
No criteria that defines what great
work is in our organization
No systemic tools to appreciate a job
welldone across the organization
LEARNINGS STRATEGIES

12. Take time to get the
strategy right5 • Position recognition as a business
initiative, not a program
• Get your global team’s input on how
to incorporate local nuances into the
global strategy
• Build a framework design
• Get feedback along the way!

13. 5 TAKE TIME TO GET THE STRATEGY RIGHT
LEARNINGS STRATEGIES
Very familial culture— must be part of
work environment
Low program usage due to limited
Internet access
Limited visibility to great work
happening across the globe
No systemic tools to appreciate a job
welldone across the organization
Keep family activity days including
picnic and open house
Develop offline solutions
Incorporate recognition in company
newsletter
Low retention rates
Recognition seems impersonal
No criteria that defines what great
work is in our organization
Start recognition earlier: onboarding,
one and three years
Manager training needed throughout
the organization
Develop and communicate employee
guidelines
Identify a partner who can help us with
a consolidated global strategy

14. 6 Create an implementation
and deployment plan
This includes:
• Developing a communication strategy
• Look into translations, tying launch to
local events etc.

15. • Addressing program configuration
• Establish operational details
• Planning for program testing (allowing time to
get it right)
• Define invoicing, taxing, and reporting
requirements
• Define budget and what’s equitable across countries
• Identify data requirements
• Determine timing of events
• Establish communication and branding strategy
• Detail translation needs
• Define invoicing, taxing and reporting requirements
• Outline logistics requirements
6 CREATE AN IMPLEMENTATION AND DEPLOYMENT PLAN

16. Identify and empower
global champions7 A champion is someone who comes by
recognition naturally, it's part of their DNA.
These are the people who automatically say
thanks or send a card to someone for helping
them out. You need champions throughout
your organization to keep recognition top of
mind, and help launch and sustain your
strategies.

17. • Equip them with tools, tips, and training
on why recognition is important and how
to do it right
• Create a network or community that
shares best practices and gathers feedback
• Inspire and engage them with fun contests
• Recognize champions for their efforts
7 IDENTIFY AND EMPOWER GLOBAL CHAMPIONS

18. Roll out communication,
promotion, and launch
strategies
• Engage local stakeholders, leaders,
and champions in the launch
• Generate excitement and make it fun
• Show employees how to use the
program
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19. Measure success and
track opportunities
for improvement
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• You can’t sustain a program on feelings, you
need data
• Conduct ongoing surveys, review success
metrics and measure ROI
• Get feedback from employees, leaders, and
champions
• Evaluate and think about ways to
renew/refresh the program
• Schedule regular check-ins with your
recognition partner

20. NOW YOU’VE LAUNCHED THE PROGRAM
how do you
sustain it?

21. KEEP IT TOP OF MIND
• Share stories across the organization
• Have recognition events
• Utilize contests
• Target communication to get
employees excited

22. KEEP IT TOP OF MIND

23. MAKE RECOGNITION EVERYONE’S
RESPONSIBILITY
• In job descriptions
• Hold managers accountable
• Use executives as models
• Recognize those areas or individuals that
do recognition well
• Coach areas that aren’t using the program
as much

24. REINFORCE CONNECTION
TO STRATEGY
• Talk about it during strategy/board
meetings, employee town halls
• Connect it to company initiatives
• Have one-time campaigns to recognize
major accomplishments or company events
• Make sure it is a recognition strategy, not a
recognition program

25. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—
when
done wrong

26. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—WHEN DONE WRONG
missteps
• Program rolled out too quickly
• Didn’t involve local stakeholders early enough
• Didn’t incorporate cultural nuances
• Didn’t plan for change management at the
local level
• Didn’t translate their materials

27. results
• Program becomes the flavor of the month
• No one using the program
• No impact to engagement scores or other
critical metrics
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—WHEN DONE WRONG

28. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—
when
done right

29. results
• Solutions operate well
• Engaged employees doing great work
• Improved business results in each country
• Aligned, connected, collaborative, global
workforce
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE—WHEN DONE RIGHT

30. 9
TOP
THINGS
to do global right

31. 1. Change your vantage point
2. Build a global stakeholder team
3. Find the right partner
4. Do your homework
5. Take time to get the strategy right
6. Create an implementation and deployment plan
7. Identify and empower global champions
8. Roll out communication, promotion, and launch
strategies
9. Measure success and track opportunities for
improvement
TOP 9 THINGS TO DO GLOBAL RIGHT

32. Get the latest recognition and culture insights.
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

33. O.C. Tanner and The O.C. Tanner Institute
O.C. Tanner helps the world inspire and appreciate great
work. Through our innovative cloud-based software, tools,
awards, education and research, we provide thought
leadership and strategic recognition solutions for thousands
of clients globally. Designed to engage talent, increase
performance, and drive corporate goals, our solutions create
personalized recognition experiences delivered through a
smart technology platform.
The O.C. Tanner Institute regularly commissions research and
provides a global forum for exchanging ideas about
recognition, engagement, leadership, culture, human values
and sound business principles.