The undeniable benefits of employee recognition software.

Technology has changed the world and certainly powers the world at work.

While it comes with some drawbacks (checks emails at 10.13pm) we could not live and work without it. We certainly could not have evolved through the pandemic to stay connected and collaborating, managing all the complexities of work remotely if not for software enablement.

Many functions of HR are delivered online but some teams are still managing employee recognition programs offline. With the need to build and retain connections now we are working differently, HR now have a solid case for creating an accessible platform for reward and recognition that will do just that.

Here are all the compelling reasons you can use to build a business case for SaaS employee recognition software.

Firstly, what is SaaS software?

SaaS software (Software as a Service) is a bit of a tech-industry buzzword but simply means software that is hosted in the cloud and licensed out to users – either at a monthly or annual cost, or sometimes for free.

Think of services like Office 365, Slack, Teams and Zoom – and don’t we all know a lot about those applications now we are pandemic-pros.

SaaS providers own and develop the software, taking care of every facet of the technology - new feature roll-outs, product lifecycle, security, hosting and daily maintenance.

Companies that subscribe to the software benefit from accessing all the features, usually for one simple fee, with no responsibility for any of the functionality – and no exorbitant costs.

What are the benefits of SaaS employee recognition software?

 

SaaS employee recognition software has no upfront software costs.

One of the biggest benefits of SaaS employee recognition software, is that there is no cumbersome upfront build cost.

SaaS recognition programs are ready to roll out. You choose the set-up option to make it yours and you start paying as you use it. Unlike traditional software, where there is a large up-front fee, SaaS software is designed so you can simply choose your configuration, load your data and launch.

Great recognition software has been designed to accommodate both larger and smaller organisations, with options of a simple set-up or more complex configurations.

Either way, no build costs is a huge benefit of SaaS employee recognition software and means you can launch within days.

SaaS employee recognition software is low cost, high-powered.

SaaS provides access to powerful, expensive software that would otherwise not be viable for many companies. Even with a big budget for technology, the timeline to build out the many features found in SaaS programs often makes a custom approach unfeasible.

SaaS providers have often spent years and huge sums of money developing their offering. They look at market trends, adapt to changing need of HR teams globally and benefit from collective innovation with their many clients. There really is power in numbers when it comes to software.

Building world class software from the ground up for use by one company, no matter how large, just doesn’t make sense when there are SaaS options readily available.

SaaS employee recognition software takes recognition public.

Recognition is important but the way it is delivered matters. Research by the Incentive Research Foundation suggests moments that are celebrated publicly are not only more impactful, but they are what employees want.

Makes sense for the younger generations – who are increasingly the dominant generation at work – as they are more accustomed to socialising achievements. Even for older generations though, private recognition consistently comes in as the least preferred way for their wins to be highlighted.

Employee recognition software creates a way for everyone across an organisation to celebrate everyday actions and extraordinary achievements – in public. Software that is accessible, no matter where employees are based, empowers your team to share and celebrate, amplifying great behaviour as it happens.

SaaS employee recognition software enables timely and authentic recognition.

For recognition moments to be impactful, they need to be timely and authentic. Most people have experienced that well meaning ‘great job’ from a manager, referring to a project that concluded three months ago. Not only does it come across as lacking integrity but it lacks impact as the project is a distant memory.

Recognition software gives you a 24/7 stream of real moments being celebrated across the company. As technology is always available and accessible from mobile, those moments that matter can be recognised in a way that matters. Employees can see something happen, log in and highlight it in real time and maximise the authenticity and impact.

SaaS employee recognition software creates visibility and transparency.

SaaS recognition software makes actions and activity transparent. Everyone can see recognition as it happens and amplify these moments by engaging with them. This not only increases the impact of each moment for the recipient, but sets the expectation for others. This level of transparency, along with knowing that achievement will be positively reinforced, build trust and connection.

The great thing about the transparent nature of a SaaS program, is that you can also see who is not using recognition. You may have new managers who need a little more encouragement to make it a daily habit. You may have people out on the road who are not immersed in the culture simply due to the way they function in their role. These scenarios can be easily addressed – but only if you are aware of them.

SaaS employee recognition software is accessible by all.

One of the greatest challenges we hear from HR teams is that recognition is available to some people but not others. For example, white collar workers are all about it but blue collar workers are less frequently seen and appreciated.

SaaS recognition software changes all of this. It is accessible to anyone with an internet connection and a mobile device. Good SaaS software does not even require a company email address, any valid email address can be used to access the program.

Software can make your recognition program a truly company-wide initiative and with it, bring recognition equity across diverse operations.

SaaS employee recognition software automates communication.

Smart recognition technology simplifies many elements of a recognition program.

Recognition communication is one element that can be easily streamlined with technology – but often isn’t. Unless the software vendor has put a lot of consideration and effort into making communication relevant and engaging, you will still need to do a lot of the trumpeting yourself.

Great recognition software includes action-based emails notifying employees of moments, as well as updates and reminders for managers and leaders. Market leading software also includes non-activity reminders, engaging and re-engaging employees throughout their recognition journey.

Old-school programs that allow for large customisations often miss this vital element, rendering your investment either downright ineffective or in need of an accompanying communication strategy.

SaaS employee recognition software integrates to reduce administration.

One of the key benefits for recognition software for HR is the ability to reduce manual work.

SaaS recognition software easily integrates with your HRM or payroll system to automate employee data. This means as you add new employees, or remove outgoing ones, their recognition profile will be updated without any duplication of effort. Even for a small company, this can significantly reduce the time it takes to manage a program. 

SaaS software also amplifies recognition messages across business communication tools. Well-designed software will post messages as they happen to channels like Slack, Workplace and Teams, allowing employees across the company to see and interact with the moment in real-time. Good software also allows posts to your intranet or monitors to share achievements and elevate the place of recognition in the organisation.

SaaS employee recognition software provides meaningful insights.

Employee recognition software gives you access to powerful, real-time data that is easy to interpret. As HR strive to deliver increasing value, HR insights that can shape the future of the organisation are vital.

No more messy spreadsheets or misinterpretations. Great software provides insightful and usable trends and reports, with insights you need to formulate intelligent business responses.

SaaS employee recognition software captures all recognition spend.

It is easy, particularly in larger companies, for recognition spend to be dispersed or untraced. Even with a defined budget, there is often spend on expense accounts and company cards that is not tagged to #recognition. 

This presents a few challenges. Where spend is dispersed, typically managers have a fair amount of discretion, opening up the potential for employees to feel recognition is not equitably. There is typically minimal oversight for HR as spend is split across various accounts and tracking systems. There is usually no single source of truth for recognition costs so while there may be a defined budget, other spend is loosely attributed to recognition but out of HR’s control.

SaaS software captures all recognition spend in one place, giving you better oversight to how rewards are being issued and making your budget more valuable.

SaaS employee recognition software reduces administration.

The investment in SaaS software can be seen as an expense, however it can actually reduce costs significantly.

A recognition program delivered with SaaS software reduces time spent on administration and therefore, the resources required to manage it. Whether you are currently managing recognition on spreadsheets, leaving it to managers but having to chase them up, printing out cards and have employees ‘cash them in’ with HR – there is a cost. And it’s often higher than you think.

The simple administration, intelligent configurations and integrations offered by SaaS software negate the need for dedicated resources just to manage what should be a simple program.

Why SaaS employee recognition software is the only choice for employee recognition.

When you get the green light to launch an engagement program, it is usually because there is a real need in the business. Employees are disgruntled, productivity is low, you are competing in a tough market for talent, your culture is fractured.

Once you have the approval to roll a program out, you want to invest all your time and effort into designing the framework, engaging leaders across the business to champion it, educating and communicating why it is important and a successful launch.

Whatever the underlying reason for launching a program, you want to spend more time managing the outcomes than the delivery method.

SaaS employee recognition software is the answer.