A Rewarding Experience

Should you outsource your incentive program?

By Allan Britnell

Tracy Foisey handles HR for Bethesda Services, a non-profit community service organization in St. Catharines, Ont. With nearly 500 employees at the company, doling out service awards every time someone reaches a milestone—ranging from five to 40 years—would be a full-time job.

Instead, her company outsourced their rewards program to Williams Recognition, based in Sherbrooke, Que. The company has a fully automated system that emails an employee when their anniversary is coming up and directs them to an online catalogue where they can choose gifts ranging from watches and jewellery to sports gear and barbecues. “They do everything for us and make it very easy,” says Foisey.

What you get: Reward and recognition program service providers can manage awards for long-term service and sales incentives, typically for companies with 250 or more employees.

“Peer-to-peer recognition is really big right now,” says Alan Whittaker, vicepresident of sales and marketing for Williams Recognition. Many reward program providers offer clients a social media-style platform where employees can complement each other’s work, and supervisors can take note. Some systems even enable staffers to award points to their colleagues that can be used to redeem prizes.

The online portal employees use can be customized, including incorporating the company logo and colours, and a message from the president. From that, they have access to the full selection of rewards available to them.

Added bonus: “The power of the program is the power of choice,” says Douglas Garcia, vice-president of business development for Samba Rewards based in Mississauga, Ont. His company offers gift cards for more than 130 different companies, ranging from restaurant chains to iTunes and Visa cards, along with merchandise and holiday getaways.

The service providers can even handle services such as engraving and gift wrapping, and can ship the rewards directly to the employee’s home, or to the company’s head office so an executive can deliver it personally.

The bottom line: Unless you need a highly customized portal, fees are usually minimal—or even free. The service providers earn their profit by either taking a commission on gift cards and other merchandise or, in the case of a company like Williams Recognition, from selling products they manufacture themselves.

other articles in this section

Swag-Bag Standouts

Banff, Alberta

Incentive Travel Insights

Gifting Guidance

The Renaissance of Incentive Travel

Promotional products your attendees will love. Really.

Incentive Research in Action

History in the Making

Mindful Indulgences

Dynamic Duos

Status Report

Editor's Choice: 6 Springtime Gifts

Warm up to Winter Ski Incentives

Set to Impress

Expert Tips for Virtual Incentive Events

Party Pivots

Presents of Mind: The Art of Virtual Gifting

A Rewarding Experience

Noteworthy: Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, Bermuda

Cards vs. Cash

Good Times

Value Validation

Trip Trends

Sailing Away

The More, The Merrier

Holiday Angst

Making the Connection

Make an Impact

Mutual Appreciation

Healthy Options for Incentive Trips

A Rewarding Experience

Cruising the Rhone River

Celebrating Employee Milestones

How Do they Do It

Eyes on the Prize

Healthy employees = Healthy company

Measuring ROI

Hawks Cay Resort, Duck Key, Florida

Good Sensations

How to Design an Effective Gift Card Incentive Program

Fogo Island Inn, Fogo Island, Newfoundland

The Case for including Spouses on Incentive Trips

Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya

On-site Gifting

Rim to River Hiking in the Grand Canyon

Sparkling Hill Resort, Vernon, BC

Creating incentive trips that appeal to everyone

The Brave New World of Gift Cards

Award Show Winners

Capella Marigot Bay Resort and Marina

Take me to the river

Click + Praise

The Science of Incentives

Incentive trips go family-style

Knock-their-socks-off gifts for hard-to-buy-for executives

Building a Better Program

Perfect Pampering

Indulge Me!

Customized Recognition Programs

Virtual gift cards, the new reality

Gift Cards that Give

Go with a Pro, in the Spa and on the Greens

Chartering private jets

Offsite Employee Engagement

Behaviour-based Recognition

Canadian tax implications for employee gifts

A Christmas Bonus with all the Fixin's!

Peer-to-peer recognition

Everyday Green Heroes

Recognizing Environmental Actions in the Workplace

Reward and Recognize Every Day!

New Year, New You!

Co-Branded Cards

Last-minute gifts and rewards

Double Pampering Hits the Spot!

Hidden Gems: Cobble Beach Resort

Gamification

Free and Fab Employee Rewards

Incentive Programs Used by the Pros

Think Local for Corporate Gifts

21st Century Gift Cards

Time for an Incentive Travel Update

Reward Best-Practices for the Holiday Season

Small Product, Big Impact

Spa Rewards, Done Right

Staying Motivated

Gift Giving Guidelines

The Pros and Cons of Gift Cards

Eco-Friendly Corporate Gift Ideas

Green Guides

Travel Rewards Strategy

Speaker Gifts that Shine with Gratitude

Tax Treatment of Incentive Travel