Employee Programs - using Science to Get Results! @BIworldwide

At #SHRM13, one of the interviews I accepted was with John O'Brien from BI Worldwide, and wow did I learn a lot. I must admit I thought the world of Promo Goods was about as mature as it can get  - and that is far from the truth - there is still a lot of innovation going on.

About John O'Brien:

John has one of those amazing HR stories! He graduated from school with a degree in psychology - and specifically a focus on employee engagement. He landed an entry level job at BI Worldwide - and never left! 28 years later he is now running the division that does employee motivation programs.

Employee Engagement, Employee Recognition and Performance Management - all rolled into one? 

What John did really well is help me understand that the three above topics are all very, very intertwined. Which is definitely interesting given that the HR solutions for each one typically are different approaches and different supplier communities.

Additionally, he made it very clear that BI Worldwide is focused on helping the clients get the results they want - in terms of outcomes (e.g. Turnover, engagement, safety results, etc.). He then shared their 5th generation application that looked amazing... So what I thought was going to be a Promo goods conversation was now turning into a metrics, results, and technology conversation - Needless to say - I was excited.

Given BI Worldwide's scientific approach - they have some great perspectives on what works. 

Here are some cool factoids:

• For a program to be successful in moving results, about 60% of the managers need to be engaged (e.g. giving awards, etc.)
• It doesn't have to be money! They are seeing that employees will absolutely change their behavior for badges within applications (e.g. Foursquare type badges)
• Changing Turnover #'s is not easy - it takes 18 to 24 months to see real change in a culture. 
• Global - BIWorldwide definitely believes central programs are a good idea - but the award strategy needs to be handled locally. They have found that the language, culture and value and types of gifts really varies around the globe. 

The Application:

They are going to send me some screen shots to add - but here were some of the really innovative ideas they are bringing to the table.
1. They give a manager a budget of awards - which is an interesting psychological trick to motivate managers to actually spend some of their award budget.
2.  They show all of the badges someone can earn - so this motivates someone to try and get them all.
3. The manager can see their employees badges, and how their managers have been awarding them - all on the mobile device.

As for me! I was truly having a ball to see how far this field had progressed and I have added BIWorldwide to my research list as they are definitely doing some cool things!