http:// 2012-06-25T00:32:08Z 2012-06-25T00:32:08Z recognition-from-managers-key-to-retaining-employees

Tuesday 12 June 2012: More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of employees would consider leaving their organisation if they weren’t recognised for their contribution, and one in four are already actively seeking a new job or intend to in the next three months, according to employee engagement specialists RedBalloon for Corporate.And its managers receiving the bulk of the criticism, with 44 per cent rated “very poor”, “poor” or just “satisfactory” at delivering praise; three quarters of employees are starved of recognition, receiving it only monthly, quarterly or once a year; and 11 per cent receiving no praise at all.These insights come from the 2012 RedBalloon Reward and Recognition Survey, which studied more than 4,000 businesses across Australia and New Zealand to gauge the current trends, attitudes and behaviours around employee reward and recognition programs.These are worrying findings given a 25-year-long Gallup study – based on interviews with 12 million workers at 7,000 large companies – also found that the relationship with a manager largely determines the length of an employee’s stay.[i]According to RedBalloon for Corporate General Manager Matt Geraghty “Retention is one of the biggest issues facing businesses right now and with the cost to replace someone estimated at 150 per cent of their salary, simple maths demonstrates the return on investment of a successful reward and recognition program.”“In tough economic times, it’s your people that will get you through, and if businesses invest in and show their employees appreciation now, they’ll stay for the long term.“Similarly, it’s unrealistic for employees to expect significant raises in the current economic climate – but a well thought-out and effective reward and recognition program can help keep your employees feeling valued and motivated for a fraction of the cost of increased pay packets.“Businesses need to encourage and empower managers to unleash the power of praise, and managers must invest the time to get to know their people and what inspires and drives them – how else can they expect to build trust and retain employees over the long term?The report also shows that rewards alone will not give you happier employees. Almost half (46 per cent) of respondents would opt for recognition over a reward when being thanked; 50 per cent want recognition and something physical, such as an experience, a gift voucher or time off from the office; and only 4 per cent of employees would be happy with a reward alone.The role of managers in this process is key, with 51 per cent of respondents seeking acknowledgment from their direct manager, 35 per cent from peers and colleagues, and only 14 per cent from the CEO.And recognition is most important to Generation Y, with 86 per cent prepared to leave an organisation due to lack of recognition, compared to 77 per cent of Generation X and 63 per cent of Baby Boomers.“Organisations cannot afford to put lip service to this – any acknowledgement needs to be authentic, personal and relevant to a specific activity. Saying thanks and ‘you’re a good bloke’ is not enough. People need to know what they did specifically that contributed to a business result,” Mr Geraghty said.“The study highlighted that 42 per cent of businesses do not have a reward and recognition program in place, which does not bode well for those who are considering leaving for lack of thanks.“But just as worrying are the 57 per cent of companies providing a substandard reward and recognition experience, as employees are five times more likely to leave their organisation if their business provides a poor program.“We are calling this the ‘recognition retention multiplier’, and it represents is a big opportunity for businesses to pull up their socks.”Top things employees want to see improved in their business right now20% pay, benefits and conditions15% work-life balance12% rewards and recognition12% systems and processes9% communication9% career progression8% training and development7% culture5% leadership/senior management4% my bossThe most popular rewards1. 42% Experiences - sharing with family/friends (25%) or Personal (17%)2. 31% Cash/Visa Card3. 11% Time off work- ENDS-For more information, or to arrange an interview or image, please contact:Lauren Ashton, Communications Specialist - P: 02 8755 0034 M: 0404 136 765 E: lauren@redballoon.com.auDownload the report: http://corp.redballoon.com.au/rewardandrecognitionreportAbout RedBalloonRedBalloon For Corporate provides exciting reward and recognition solutions, corporate gifts and sales incentives to ensure businesses keep their employees and customers motivated, rewarded and engaged. With a unique resource of over 2,500 amazing experiences in Australia and New Zealand RedBalloon specialises in creating attachments between employees and their employer. RedBalloon has also been awarded for its innovative employee engagement practices, named in the Best Places to Work by BRW Magazine three times, including a top ten ranking in 2009. Hewitt Associates have also awarded RedBalloon with an engagement score of over 90 per cent three years in a row. The average engagement score in Australian businesses is 55 per cent.[i] Kaye, B & Jordan-Evans, S. (2005) Love ‘Em or Lose Em. Berrett Koehler.

2012-05-07T15:02:04Z community-organisations-join-fight-against-homophobia

Sydney, May 8 - Several Gay and Lesbian supporting community organisations are marking this May 17th as International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) with a new campaign, targeted at engaging members of the community to become allies to battle homophobia and transphobia. The new campaign, which asks members of the public to make a ‘pledge’ to speak out against prejudice, discrimination, intolerance and hate aims to provide hope for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Questioning (LGBTIQQ) young people. “When I heard about the Be My Ally campaign, I immediately knew I had to move quickly to get in touch with the organisers (IDAHO-NSW),” said Rami Mandow, Chairman of The Community Brave Foundation – a new Foundation which aims at reducing online bullying, homophobia, transphobia and youth suicide. “We wanted to partner with IDAHO to deliver a community message, but we didn’t want to be restricted to our small circles.” “So we sent a few emails out amongst our networks and asked a bunch of community organisations to join us,” said Mandow. “Before we knew it, everyone loved the idea and was right on board. We’ve got the teams from It Gets Better Australia, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, Twenty10, Guide to Gay, Star Observer and the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Business Association all partaking in this brilliant community message. It’s so simple, yet so effective.” The Be My Ally Idea is the brainchild of Stuart Garske, after having worked three years with the community for IDAHO. The aim of the project is to continue on the conversation about homophobia and transphobia beyond the May 17day of recognition for IDAHO and ensure that communities, schools and workplaces become more tolerant and accepting. “Like many of our fellow community organisations, we have a strong message when it comes to homophobia and transphobia. And that message is that it will not be tolerated anywhere in society,” said Mandow. “That’s why we want to become allies with so many people in our communities to ensure that we are there to help provide resources, tools, information and direction if young people are being subjected to homophobia or transphobia.” “As all of us Community Organisations launch the campaign, I expect to see a whole lot more come on board. Even with the few teasers that we have released through Community Brave, we’ve had four organisations let us know they are interested,” said Mandow. “Based on this, we are hoping that this will trigger a chain reaction of recognition events around the nation to get people to address homophobia and transphobia when it occurs. Self-policing if it can be called this, both online and offline.” IDAHO NSW is a community based initiative made up of individuals, services and organisations dedicated to addressing homophobia, transphobia, intersexphobia, as well as supporting equal rights for LGBTIQQ people. Founded by Stuart Garske in 2012. The Community Brave Foundation is a community volunteer program which has aims to reduce online bullying, homophobia, transphobia and youth suicide using social media as a tool to communicate with young people providing resources, information and referrals. Established in 2012, Community Brave has released several videos featuring members of the public at Mardi Gras and are about to release a series of videos featuring Australian celebrities. For further information about the IDAHO campaign, or to schedule and interview with Rami Mandow or Stuart Garske, please call Rami on +61 416 853 250 or email admin@thecommunitybravefoundation.org