Want to launch an employee-of-the-month program for your company or business but don’t know where to start? When it’s done right, programs such as this can effective boost productivity and morale among employees, giving them the drive to excel at their current job position. Unfortunately, though, far too many companies take the wrong approach when it comes to employee-of-the-month programs, reducing their overall effectiveness as a motivator. Keep reading to learn the do’s and don’ts of building an employee-of-the-month program from scratch.

Define Your Goals

The fundamental principle and purpose of an employee-of-the-month program is to recognize workers who constantly go out of their way to help the company succeed; therefore, the first step in launching one is to define the goals of your company. Ask yourself what short and long-term goals you have for the company. Perhaps you want to improve customer service as a short-term goal and double sales earrings as a long-term goal.

Choose a Plaque or Trophy (or Both)

The next step in creating an employee-of-the-month program is to choose a plaque or trophy to hand out. Some companies prefer to use personalized plaques in their program simply because they can hang them on the wall. If you decide to take this route, it’s not a bad idea to order two of each plaque, as this will allow you to hang one on the wall while handing the other to the worker crowned employee of the month.

Criteria For Selection

Of course, you’ll need to think long and hard when it comes to choosing a recipient for your new employee-of-the-month program. Assuming you followed the steps listed here, you should have clear goals defined for your company. One technique for choosing an employee of the month is to base your decision around these goals. The worker whom you feel showed the most drive and determination to reach the goals should be named employee of the month.

Some companies don’t believe in naming a worker employee of the month twice. Ultimately, this decision is completely up to you, but it’s a good idea to give other employees a chance to receive the title as well. Once an employee wins the title, wait at least 4-6 months before giving them another employee-of-the-month award. You read through our previous blog post here for more tips on choosing the right employee of the month for your company.