Transforming Employee Recognition

1. HR Thought Leader Insights Transforming Employee Recognition Engage2Excel CEO Phil Stewart explains how two decades of HR experience led him to develop anROI-based approach to employee recognition and engagement. Learn why this former CHRO and President of IBM’s Kenexa Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) business believes that analytics are vital to transforming the strategic role of HR.

2. Q.When you assumed the role of CEO atTharpeRobbins, did you have a blueprint in mind for Engage2Excel? Q. How did your experience as CHRO and thenPresident of IBM’s Kenexa division influence the strategy you developed for Engage2Excel? A.Absolutely. We had already conducted a thorough analysis of the employee recognition market. Most of the innovation over the past few years was on the software side. But two things were quite clear as we looked at the industry. First, there was a one-size-fits-all mindset. Most recognition programs were deployed using a monolithic model, with little regard for significant differences that may exist in engage-ment levels between business units, departments or job families. Second, nothing was being done to help companies do a better job measuring, managing and validating the business impact of their investments in employee recognition. As the old saying goes, you can’t manage what you can’t measure. A.Well first, IBM is an analytics-driven company. The Recruitment Process Outsourcing business that I led grew over 500% because we were able to deliver higher-quality candidates through a blend of science and technology, which, in turn, directly impacted business outcomes. Analytics told us what was and wasn’t working, and gave us the insights we needed to help clients achieve competitive advantages. HR leaders were playing a critical role in helping their companies scale quickly, efficiently and profitably. www.Engage2Excel.com Transforming Employee Recognition

3. HR Thought Leader Insights Q.As part of your strategy for Engage2Excel,you have added new services in the form of engagement surveys and performance analytics. You have also expanded your management team. What other changes do you envision? I believe that these same principles apply to maximizing employee engagement. Think about it. Talent is the single biggest expense for most companies. And employee engagement is one of the most important variables for driving business outcomes. But until now, HR leaders had no way to plan, analyze and scale their investments in employee engagement and recognition. To summarize, my experience at IBM/Kenexa along with the relationships developed with senior HR leaders had a significant impact on the strategy we developed for Engage2Excel. A. The good news is that we are building on a solid, century-old foundation of innovation, so our changes have been additive. We have 2,500 clients across a wide array of market segments, including healthcare, manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, education, logistics and technology. And, we enjoy one of the best reputations in the industry for customer service and support. Unlike others in the category, we actually have our own manufacturing and distribution facilities. The new services we’ve added will enable us to help make our clients’ recognition programs even more successful.

4. Q. How are clients responding to this newapproach to delivering ROI-based employee recognition programs? We’re now taking the industry to the next level by providing reliable, ROI-based metrics for measuring, managing and improving recognition program success. That level of transparency will ultimately drive changes. It’s no longer enough to simply move the needle on employee engagement scores. What’s important is moving the needle on the performance outcomes that matter most on the CEO’s strategic agenda. A. We previewed the new platform at a recent client conference. Positive feedback was in the high 90s. Everyone agrees that this is where the recognition industry needs to go. No company can effectively manage and grow investments in engagement and recognition without ROI. Jack Wiley, one of the world’s leading authorities on engagement surveys, and Brian Kelly, CEO of Vestrics—our performance analytics partner, both gave detailed presentations at our conference. These were extremely well received. The way I view the changes we are bringing to market is quite simple. The correlation between employee recognition and performance is indisputable. The new services we’ve added will enable us to help make our clients’ recognition programs even more successful.