Archived suggestions for recognition to team members

[tgtguy]

At one time my store, would mail out thank you cards to team members who went above and beyond...each etl and stl would choose 5 or so team members for the month, fill out a thank you card and mail it . This worked great to begin with...until people started comparing their cards. They all said the exact same thing...just sent to different person, wrote in different handwriting , and signed by different etl.

 

[monkeyman90]

My target is awesome. Recognition is run by the coolest person. She makes a raffle of it. So if you get a red card or do something amazing, you go pick a paper and then find out your prize. Some Are low cost items and some are better. But it's super fun. One night I went out of my way for a guest and was told to go pick out a toy under 10 for one of my kids for christmas. It encourages us a lot.

what are things that you'd think are fun and motivated for a red card? i'd be glad to do that, just we don't want it i opened a red card what do i get for it. if there are fun things that are appreciated we'd do more.

 

[monkeyman90]

I've done things like:

Free food ave/drink combo
12 pack of pop cans
target's recognition merch
high fives and radio recognition
"an extra 5 minutes on your 15's"

Don't forget about good old vibe cards, too

Everyone likes to get clear recognition! I now work at a retailer who doesn't do nearly as good of a job with recognizing the team, and it shows through in their attitudes and our turnover

free starbucks is very popular, but discouraged. food/starbucks/giftcards were very popular. when we offer super prizes we get people who push for them. my etl wants things like hand written cards and target swag. i don't think that's enough. one store i trained at had throw things at etl's etc

 

[RhettB]

At one time my store, would mail out thank you cards to team members who went above and beyond...each etl and stl would choose 5 or so team members for the month, fill out a thank you card and mail it . This worked great to begin with...until people started comparing their cards. They all said the exact same thing...just sent to different person, wrote in different handwriting , and signed by different etl.

I think my store stopped the mailing of cards sometime in the early spring or summer. That's the last time they were handed out at a TL meeting at any rate.

 

[RhettB]

what are things that you'd think are fun and motivated for a red card? i'd be glad to do that, just we don't want it i opened a red card what do i get for it. if there are fun things that are appreciated we'd do more.

I don't necessarily agree with red card recognition. Electronics TMs don't get equal recognition for attachments. If you want to recognize loyalty drivers it's not fair. Salesfloor TMs don't get recognition for helping guests on the salesfloor. Redcards, attachments, and helping guests are part of ones' core roles. Prizes for doing so is not honestly warranted unless a TM goes above and beyond. Guest compliment, or conversion or AAR achievement that is above goal.

 

[monkeyman90]

what are things that you'd think are fun and motivated for a red card? i'd be glad to do that, just we don't want it i opened a red card what do i get for it. if there are fun things that are appreciated we'd do more.

I don't necessarily agree with red card recognition. Electronics TMs don't get equal recognition for attachments. If you want to recognize loyalty drivers it's not fair. Salesfloor TMs don't get recognition for helping guests on the salesfloor. Redcards, attachments, and helping guests are part of ones' core roles. Prizes for doing so is not honestly warranted unless a TM goes above and beyond. Guest compliment, or conversion or AAR achievement that is above goal.

we had an electronics expert that gave recognition. if you don't upsell then you don't get scheduled there.

 

[RistrettoShots]

I agree with RhettB 100%. What about those team member who work in Food avenue or Starbucks. The only way we could ever get recognized was for pushing surveys at food ave, which now is impossible. (They don't print). & it honestly sucks having to see all these cashiers get free drinks at Starbucks for getting a redcard , when we are consistently green with steritech and do amazing at corporate visits. I think if a TL would recognize someone out of their department every once and a while it would make more Tms feel more acknowledged. Just being told "hey great job, I heard the district manager was very impressed with you" kinda sucks when other people are getting free stuff for just doing their job, but I am going above and beyond.

 

[redeye58]

^likex10000
Can't tell you how annoying it is to see all these cashiers collecting their free drinks for redcards & we don't get jack.
Heck, when hrs were tight & we'd cashier some, we'd get a few redcards but we DIDN'T get a free drink.

 

[Flabbergasted]

So tomorrow I am getting paid to work on a project with our store's ETL-HR involving recognizing team members, not just at the front-end but throughout the store. I was going with a prize wheel but if anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to pitch them in this thread. We'll be using the 549/601 account to requisition supplies and create a good recognition system, and again, it won't just be limited to front-end TMs.

 

[monkeyman90]

I agree with RhettB 100%. What about those team member who work in Food avenue or Starbucks. The only way we could ever get recognized was for pushing surveys at food ave, which now is impossible. (They don't print). & it honestly sucks having to see all these cashiers get free drinks at Starbucks for getting a redcard , when we are consistently green with steritech and do amazing at corporate visits. I think if a TL would recognize someone out of their department every once and a while it would make more Tms feel more acknowledged. Just being told "hey great job, I heard the district manager was very impressed with you" kinda sucks when other people are getting free stuff for just doing their job, but I am going above and beyond.

we don't give prizes for 1, but if there's a raffle or long term prize, you'd be entered. i'd tell you i really appreciate the effort. i'd announce it to the team. but i can't justify giving every non cashier 5+ bucks for every redcard they open.

 

[evilSF]

Honestly, we find more fun in drawing for a prize then what the prize entails. If someone on the sales floor gets a red card, they get better prizes as its harder.


Sometimes the prizes are already picked out, other times we pick it. For example, a five dollar movie, you go select it. It's fun and motivating. Target struggles this time of year for red cards, we have to work harder to get them. The smallest prizes are candy bars, and that's okay. People want a reason to work harder.

Now I'm giving my store away, for those that know this, but oh well. My awesome red card lady takes the time to make raffles cool. Like thanksgiving, you pluck a feather from a turkey and it shows your prize. Christmas, you pluck the beard, valentine's, you pick a heart. So what if you win a bottle of soda, you could have received a high five instead.

 

[pscidude2010]

At my store, the Front End team gets the majority of the 549 account and it really depends on who the GSTL/GSA is on what is given. We had a massive problem last year when a GSTL would give $5 per redcard every shift every day. Some TMs were getting $50 in Target Gift Cards everyweek. And then if he didn't requisition it, it put the other leaders in a bad spot because we had to deny it to TMs because that wasn't approved and AP was getting annoyed at us.

I do understand with Redcards it easy to be seen doing them. With AAR, you have to wait at least a day for your attachments to show up on the report. With Sales Floor, its a week to see if your name was mentioned in a guest survey.

I really want us to look at Recognition as a whole store but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

 

[Kartman]

The five extra minutes on your break was the best , most feasible suggestion yet!

 

[monkeyman90]

Honestly, we find more fun in drawing for a prize then what the prize entails. If someone on the sales floor gets a red card, they get better prizes as its harder.


Sometimes the prizes are already picked out, other times we pick it. For example, a five dollar movie, you go select it. It's fun and motivating. Target struggles this time of year for red cards, we have to work harder to get them. The smallest prizes are candy bars, and that's okay. People want a reason to work harder.

Now I'm giving my store away, for those that know this, but oh well. My awesome red card lady takes the time to make raffles cool. Like thanksgiving, you pluck a feather from a turkey and it shows your prize. Christmas, you pluck the beard, valentine's, you pick a heart. So what if you win a bottle of soda, you could have received a high five instead.

really i'd aim for one salesfloor rc a week. they usually make up 25% of eligible cashiers. we're close to corp goals on cashiers. but salesfloor is a big 0 red.

 

[NitroKing2110]

My store has a few different things in the mix,

REDcards: a $10 or $5 giftcard depending on how desperate we are that week ($10 seems excessive to me but I'm not turning down free money) and a red ticket for every 2 REDcards a cashier gets, a red ticket for each salesfloor REDcard. Red tickets explained below. Some GSTLs have other recognition they give their cashiers such as a prize wheel, free FA meal, free SBux drink, $10 shopping spree.

Salesfloor: The ETLs are pushing TMs, TLs, ETLs, STL, whoever has a walkie to give shoutouts over the walkie for each other. Each time someone shouts you out you get a red ticket and the joy of having at least 3 ETLs play walkie cheerleader (they hate it but its their job so we all tolerate it)

Other: If anyone gets a 600% or more AAR transaction, they get a red ticket and the excessive happiness of the ETL-GE and STL.

Red tickets: When you are leaving (or whenever the LOD sees you) they have a "grab bag" with various assorted stuff, candy, some cosmetics, food, dollar spot, under $10 electronics (very rare), and you get one item for each red ticket. At the end of the day the red tickets are all put into a bucket, and the LOD pulls 2 out of the bucket at the next huddle and the winners get an additional "bigger, more awesome" prize from the ETL-GE (There were giant Hershey's bars at one point).