7 Pillars of a Successful Long Service Awards Programme

It is heartening to see more and more companies celebrating work anniversaries and key milestones of their employees with Long Service Awards (LSAs). They join a growing club of companies that care for their people and nurture a culture of wellbeing.

After 22 years of serving over 3000 brands and shipping 3 million customised awards and recognition products across the country, we at Pinnacle have learnt a few things about what works and what does not when it comes to an LSA programme. 

Running a successful LSA Programme has its own unique challenges, more so in the post-covid era where hybrid offices and work-from-home are also in play. If you are planning to launch an LSA programme, then there are many decisions to be made. 

Following are a few key pillars that often get missed and cause much stress, wastage and delays:

Pillar #1: Time it Well!

Timing is everything when it comes to Long Service Awards. Since the award is a celebration of work anniversaries, its impact is best felt when the award is given on or around the anniversary date itself. An LSA programme that is timed well, has a beautiful effect on the psyche of the employees, the culture of the organisation and its perception amongst the workforce. 

Clients have reported an uptick in good vibes and loyalty. The LSA sometimes becomes the talking point of the day and those companies enjoy the perception of being good to work for. 

Getting the timing right needs advanced planning and an efficient fulfilment partner. Here are some things that we have seen that work well for LSA execution:

1. It works best when the LSA is handed to the employee on or around their actual work anniversary. It also looks great on social media when LinkedIn announces their work anniversary and around the same time they post a photo of a beautiful LSA that they received from their employer. The celebration of their employment anniversary that began in the office spills over to their online community and the congratulations keep pouring in.  
2. Long Service Awards are a cause for celebration. When someone receives an LSA, it spreads positive vibes in the office, congratulations flow through the day, there is a sense of growth and well being. Experiencing this, most of our customers have shifted from giving awards out annually, to giving them monthly and bi-monthly.
3. Our clients report that the LSA loses its impact when it is given annually or when it is given too long after the work anniversary. A delayed LSA is about as effective as a birthday wish that is given months after the birthday has come and gone. The client ends up spending all the money without reaping the maximum benefits from it.  
4. We have seen in the best LSA programmes that the client has coordinated with us to set up a work-flow where we ship the awards on a monthly or bi-monthly cycle, ahead of the work anniversaries and special occasions. Shipping twice a month needs some degree of planning and a strong LSA partner to execute the plan, but the extra work is worth it.  You too can set up SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and the rest will be easy. Talk to us on how we can make this process simple for you, as we have done for hundreds of our clients till date. 

Pillar #2: Data Collection and Verification

If there is one thing that slows delivery of awards to your team members, it is incorrect, incomplete or obsolete shipping addresses and phone numbers. In pre-covid times this was relatively easier as awards were shipped to the company’s offices, but now we see as many as 75% of the LSA awards being shipped to residential addresses of employees. 

Companies who have taken the time to collect current data from the employees, such as their residential addresses, updated mobile numbers, pin codes etc, have saved a lot of time and headache during the delivery part of the process. Some of our customers verify the shipping data 1-2 months before the awards are shipped out, thereby avoiding all sorts of delays and wastage. This is all the more relevant in the Covid times, when awards are shipped to residential addresses and many persons have moved homes.
We have found that LSA operations run more smoothly when the company gives the Supplier of the LSA programme a single point of contact within the company to reach out to, in order to answer any questions or to get guidance or help regarding the company’s data or any other aspect of LSA management. 

Depending on the size of operations, we always advise our clients to assign adequate time to get this pillar just right. Data collection always takes longer than anyone anticipates.  

We have had instances where a client sent us data from an existing list that had not been updated for a year and some of the addresses were obsolete. This led to repeat shipping and delays that would have been avoided had the data been verified. 
Special attention needs to be given to capturing the right pin codes and correct mobile numbers. This saves a great amount of time, stress and expense. This is a valuable tip that real-life experience has taught us. A client of ours collected the data for 500 awards without making Pin code and Mobile Phone entries compulsory on the form. This small oversight caused much delay and the client had to repeat the entire data collection drive from scratch, as pin codes and mobile numbers are mandatory for delivery these days.

Pillar #3: Make It Special for the Recipient

Beyond all the logistics and data concerns, the LSA is really about celebrating the person who is receiving the award.  We are all working to make that moment special for them. When they open their LSA box, what will their reaction be?  How will the award make them feel? 

Here are some ideas that have worked for our customers: 

1. The programme is a success when the Long Service Award Kit itself is well thought-out and beautiful! Something that the recipient is happy to receive and proud to display.  Besides an award, our clients often like to include in the kit a letter or a certificate expressing gratitude for their service, along with a small gift. 
2. Many companies decide in advance where they will hand the award to their team-member, who will hand the award and the manner in which the handover will take place. Will a team lead give the award at the recipient’s desk? In which case, is it possible to gather the team to witness the moment? Can someone give a short speech expressing gratitude and appreciation? 
3. Some companies make LSAs a part of their monthly meetings or scheduled company celebrations.
4. Even when the awards are being shipped to the employee’s residence, it is possible to make the moment special for the person receiving the award.  One of our customers- a large manufacturing company that is over 100 years old- times their awards to be delivered in the anniversary month itself. Along with that, they have a member of their employee experience team call each person as they receive their award, just to make it more special. 

Pillar #4  Partner With A Robust Supplier

When working with LSAs you need to pick a robust supplier, preferably someone who is a Specialist in Long Service Awards. 

Long Service Awards are different from regular awards. LSA specialists understand the challenges and have built backend systems to accommodate these. They have a proven track record and can handle complicated delivery schedules with ease. The bigger the size of your dispatch, the more important it is for you to partner with an experienced supplier. A successful programme depends on your partner being able to deliver the awards month-on-month like clockwork, to the right destinations, in the right packaging.  Experienced LSA specialists have a well documented backend process in place, run by quality teams. 

At Pinnacle, the smallest LSA programme we manage, supplies 3 personalised Long Service Awards in a year. Our largest programme ships 12,000 personalised awards annually to individual home addresses for employees. In total, we have shipped 3 million personalised awards and recognition products in our 22 year history. 

To determine whether you need a Specialist for running your LSA programme, or whether a regular Gifting Supplier can fulfil your needs just as well, refer to  this article:  10 Questions To Ask Before Hiring Your Long Service Award Fulfilment Partner in India (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KvI21d4UIRNW8AopLb4WzfcfU5l-3xoVnOZc55Z925E/edit) 

Pillar #5  The LSA Celebration Box

More and more of our customers are working with us closely to design and plan a beautiful customised LSA kit for their company, within their budget. Since we have in-house manufacturing and design capabilities, we are able to make the LSA special for all our customers, no matter the size of their budget. 

The questions that we brainstorm with our customers while planning the LSA Kit are: What is the content of the box? If there is a certificate or letter that is accompanying the award, then what does it say? How will the recipient experience the award when they open it? Does the award go in some kind of a box or is it packaged in a plain brown carton? What is the size of the award? How do we ensure that the award is something that the person receiving will cherish and be proud to display? 

Here are some ideas that have worked and some that just did not: 

1. In an ideal scenario, the LSA celebration box should be a combination of an Award and something unique, a small gift, something inspirational and motivational. Something that makes them feel connected to the company. 
2. The gift can be something personalised, that makes them feel special. Or it could also be an edible treat, or an electronic gadget or gift vouchers. 
3. Sometimes the LSA Kit contains a note written by the team leader or the CEO, expressing gratitude or appreciation. 
4. Some of our clients have reported that only giving vouchers or electronic items as Long Service Awards does not work for their employees, even when the items were of great quality and of use. 
   A large financial firm in India with an amazing HR team connected with us to celebrate the LSA for their company. They were just starting out and they did something different. Instead of just giving awards or just giving gifts to everyone they gave their people a choice. 450 people were given the option of choosing between a Long Service Award or  a utility gift like speakers, headphones, watch or a bag. Normally we would expect that given a choice everyone would pick a utility gift but that was not the reality. Almost 55% of people chose to receive an award as a remembrance for their anniversary celebration.  
5. In discussing LSAs with our customers, we have learned that great HR teams think of LSAs as opportunities to create moments– moments that bond the company and the employee, create a feeling of oneness and harmony. It is an opportunity for the company to say thanks and to express their appreciation, to tell their precious employees that the years they have put in the company have mattered. Nothing captures a moment quite like an award that can go up on the mantle and serve as a reminder for years to come. 

Pillar #6 Set A Budget Aside

When it comes to Long Service Awards, the adage, “it’s the thought that counts!” fits perfectly. The award is about creating a thoughtful moment that makes the recipient feel cherished and a valued part of the team. It is the company’s way of expressing gratitude to a team-member for their loyalty, for the stability and growth they lend to the company. 

We recommend to our clients to set a budget aside for their Long Service Awards- it matters not how big or small it is. We at Pinnacle love budgets. We make each LSA special, no matter what the budget is. Talk to us about your LSA needs and we will make something spectacular within your budget. 

Pillar #7 Take Smart Feedback

Over the years we have witnessed that when our customers take smart feedback from their employees on the LSA programme, they inevitably get surprising insights on how to make the programme work even better for them. You never know where the next great suggestion is coming from. It could be from a team lead, from an award recipient or even from a team member who had witnessed the award moment. There is always room for improvement and smart feedback can unlock that room. 

Our customers tell us that the key to smart feedback lies in asking powerful questions that get people to open up and reveal a bit of how they really feel.  While every organisation is different, here are some examples of open-ended questions that elicited honest responses for some of our customers and helped them make their LSA programmes stronger: 

1. What is your most memorable recognition moment?

This is an amazing question to start a questionnaire with for it gives a deep insight into what people really value. Sometimes employees say that they will take cash vouchers or food coupons, but then the company discovers that such rewards are forgotten moments after they are given. They did not signal to the employee that they are appreciated and a valued part of the team. Once we understand what excites a company’s team members, we can create more of what they like. 

2. Do you feel recognised and appreciated working at this company?

This is another powerful question. Imagine you are spending a whole lot on recognition but when you conduct a survey you discover that only a very small percentage of people really feel appreciated for their work. 

3. Did you face any problems with the LSA programme? 

Ask a straight question, get a straight answer. For instance, a company that orders over 12,000 LSAs from us annually, got feedback that the awards were reaching their offices on time, but it was weeks before they were being handed to the employees, often missing the anniversary by a long shot. On further questioning it was discovered that the HR department had created the list so that the team leads were receiving the LSAs. Since the numbers were huge, each team lead was burdened with 100s of awards in cartons that had to be sorted and distributed further.  Invariably, the cartons did not take priority and were opened weeks later. Once the HR department learnt this, they simply changed the list so that the awards were packed department-wise. Now no one person was getting inundated with hundreds of awards that needed to be sorted. The HR lead simply generated a new list, sent it to us, we packed and shipped the awards accordingly and voila! Their LSA programme started running smooth like butter and creating the impact that the company was always hoping for. 

4. When was the last time that you appreciated a colleague for their great work?

This is a powerful question to end the survey on. Recognition cannot be driven by HR or top management alone. Some team members can do with a subtle reminder to show recognition to their peers and subordinates. 

Finally, do share the feedback you get with your LSA supplier and fulfilment partner, so that they can tailor your LSA programme to work even better for you. 

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