最近，一家全球软件公司的高管告诉我他公司的员工奖励程序远比年终分红更加富有成效。而公司的奖金预算只有总公司奖金基金的十分之一，他想知道如何改变这一状况 。
我试着观察奖金这一趋势。很多公司都在重新评估奖金和奖励策略。频繁地实施奖励机制，可以直观地看到积极的成效广泛发展，因公司重新评估像年终奖这样的传统奖励模式。
年度奖金是按年份给出的，这类奖金起初就是用来留住和激励公司的顶级人才。根据美国最具历史的再就业辅导机构Challenger, Gray & Christmas公司统计，今年有超过63%的公司采用年终奖的奖励形式。但我们必须要问一个问题：如何得知年度奖金发挥了实效，比如在不断下降的员工投入和高端人员的流动性问题上？
以下我们给出了5点技巧，就如何构建价值、目标和公众认可的奖金标准：
不要等到年终才对员工进行奖励。
年度奖金有2大固有的局限。第一，员工只有等到年终才能得到自己工作的奖励。第二，时间的流逝给优秀行为和奖金本身留下了断档，降低了奖金的意义。
通过比较，一年中频繁地给予员工小奖励远比最终的奖金更有成效。无论是他们得到了客户的支持，做出了聪明的产品创意，奖励机制都应在员工的行为和奖励间建立一份直接的关系。从而鼓励公司的其他员工。
使奖金变得深刻而难忘。
奖金很轻易地被遗忘。当奖金或奖励附加到员工每月的工资上是，额外的钱将被用于日常必须的开销上。为员工设置一项非奖金的选择，他们会将奖励用于对个人有意义而又难忘的事情上。比如，我很可能忘记了上周的消费清单，但一定会记住和爱人度过的美好一晚。
不要仅仅对最高表现进行奖励。
新闻中经常看到精英与普通大众的差别。而事实是，引领强势业绩表现的是所有员工中与众不同的一个，创造出一个更为团结的文化、增强承诺不仅是一个明星成员的功劳，而是所有帮助其成为明星的员工的功劳。
得到表现和行为上的奖励体现了个人价值。
年底奖金不会成为敦促员工定期的为一项工作或某种行为努力工作的动力，而这一动力体现了公司的价值。与个人表现无直接联系的奖励或奖金是真正的酬劳。而与员工表现挂钩的奖励形式是对员工的肯定，而这也是那些先进公司如何通过奖励员工，建立更强企业文化的形式。
让员工了解公司对其努力给予的报酬。
奖金总是从结果来评判，而忽视员工在以公司长远目标为基础的项目上付出努力的过程。《进步原则》中的调查明确地表示，达成目标是员工对工作投入度的唯一且最好的表现。根据对1200名员工的跟踪调查，研究人员发现，对于工作的助力和达成目标而言，排名第一的情感因素是那种产生进步的感觉。而这种进步感是无法通过年终的奖金的发放而产生的。
对于任何一位人力资源主管来讲，年终是为员工们谋划新的战略最好的机会，以便告知员工未来一年终公司的需求，年终是展现目的性和意义性最好的时机。对很多公司而言，年终奖会保持不变。领导者们面对的挑战是，我们可以从年终奖的发放中得到什么回馈，我们如何更好地对人才给予奖励。补充或分享对员工的奖励可以更好地提高员工的目的性，促进增加生产效益和底线业绩。
A human resources executive at a global software company recently told me that his company’s employee recognition program was far more productive than its annual bonus plan. Yet the company’s recognition budget was only a tenth as big as its annual bonus pool. He wondered how to change this.
I’m starting to see a trend. Companies are reevaluating their bonus and reward strategies. They are witnessing the direct, positive effect that broad, frequently used recognition programs can have, so they’re reevaluating their approach to traditional rewards like the annual bonus.
Annual bonuses have been around for ages, and they were originally designed to retain and motivate top talent. This year more than 63% of companies are planning year-end bonuses, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the oldest executive outplacement firm in the U.S. But a question must be asked: How can you validate the effect of the annual bonus on key business problems such as declining employee engagement and high turnover of key employees?
Here are five quick tips on how to structure bonus criteria tied to values, goals, and recognition:
1) Don’t wait until the end of the year to reward a job well done. Annual bonuses have two inherent limitations. First, the employee has to wait until the end of the year to receive a reward for good work. Second, that time lapse creates a gap between the good behavior and the reward itself, making the reward less meaningful.
By comparison, smaller awards provided frequently throughout the year are far more effective at driving results. Whether they’re for great customer support or clever product innovation, recognition-based payouts create a direct relationship between the the employee’s actions and the rewrd. And that, in turn, encourages other employees throughout the company.
2) Make it memorable. Cash awards are easily forgotten. When a bonus or reward is added to an employee’s monthly salary, the extra money will often be spent on everyday necessities. Provide employees with a non-cash reward option and they will use it for something memorable and personally meaningful. I may remember a night out with my spouse, but I certainly won’t remember last week’s grocery bill.
3) Don’t just reward your top performers. The gulf between the elite and the masses has been much in the news. The fact is, the way to drive strong business performance is by reaching all workers who make a difference. This creates a more unified culture and heightens engagement not only for your star performers but also for the ones who help make them stars—the supporting cast.
4) Recognize performance and behaviors that embody your values. Employees who receive a bonus at year’s end don’t get the regular reinforcement they need for hard work on a specific project or behavior that reflects company values. A reward or bonus without a direct correlation to performance is really only compensation. A reward or bonus tied to performance is employee recognition, and it’s how today’s progressive companies energize their employees and build stronger cultures.
5) Show employees how much you value their efforts. Bonuses often reward results only, ignoring important progress employees make on projects critical to a company’s long-term goals. Research reported in The Progress Principle makes it clear that achieving progress is the single greatest contributor to employee engagement. After tracking 1,200 knowledge workers, Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer found that the No. 1 motivator was a sense of progress—a feeling of moving forward and attaining a greater goal. This can’t be achieved with a nondescript year-end bonus.
For any business or human resources leader, the end of the year is a great opportunity to devise strategies that can give employees what they want and need—a sense of purpose and meaning. For many companies, the year-end bonus will always remain in place. The challenge for business leaders everywhere is to ask, What return am I getting from bonuses, and how can I better engage my talent? Supplement or share the rewards pie with employee recognition and the result will be more engaged employees with a greater sense of purpose, leading to increased productivity and bottom-line business results.
