Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/330423
THE CHALLENGE From its inception, IM Flash has aimed to become one of the world's most innovative manufacturers of flash memory solutions. To achieve that, IM Flash has focused on cultivating talent and creating an energetic, collaborative, and supportive culture. The company values of Teamwork, Integrity, Execution and Commitment are its guiding principles towards creating a culture that engages employees and attracts and retains the right talent to drive its technology leadership. In 2011 IM Flash made the strategic decision to enhance their employee recognition program to a more modern solution – one that would empower broader employee participation. The recognition program they had in place had low visibility, was not widely adopted, and required multiple ad- hoc processes, many of which were manual. The recognition program also was not tied to their core values. "We knew we had an opportunity to more closely align our culture with our performance management philosophy," explains IM Flash Recognition and Engagement Specialist, Corinne Selk. "We wanted a recognition program that could help translate our values into behaviors. We wanted to ensure that employees felt appreciated for their performance and the commitment they gave to us. People are our most important resource and strategic advantage." THE SOLUTION IM Flash formed a Recognition Alignment Team (known by the acronymic title, The RAT Pack) to design and launch the program. The internal team established two primary program objectives: 1. To recognize, reward, and reinforce values-based behaviors through frequent awards. The focus of the award was to be exemplary and above-and-beyond behaviors that drive the results and culture needed to thrive. 2. To ensure that any achievements given monetary rewards were tied to those values-based behaviors. IM Flash considered building a program in house, but decided that to have lasting success and ongoing improvements to the company's culture of recognition, it needed a dedicated recognition partner. "We had to consider the best solution for building and sustaining an effective program." They decided that working with a vendor was the best choice, and after evaluating several vendors, IM Flash selected Globoforce as its recognition vendor. Globoforce was not only able to provide values-based recognition but also deliver the solution through a social SaaS-based platform, allowing IM Flash to benefit from ongoing enhancements and improvements. IM Flash also felt it was able to partner with a thought leader who understood recognition and who could drive business results and provider greater visibility into top performers and influencers. "We wanted to work with a forward- thinking company, and I got the feel from them that they could speak intelligently about the psychology behind recognition," she said. "We wanted a partner, not just a vendor. That's why we chose Globoforce." THE RESULTS Just three months after the contract was signed with Globoforce, IM Flash launched its rCubed program—an acronym for "Recognize, Reward, and Reinforce." Backed by Globoforce's global technology and operations, the company has created a unified culture of recognition across its diverse workforce. Results of the program to date include: • Rapid, viral employee adoption – Within just three months, the program nearly doubled its reach (going from 45% reach in the previous program to 86% of employees). The reach figure rose to 97% during the first year of the program. • Greater visibility into top performers and influencers – Integrating crowdsourced recognition data with its talent management processes and performance reviews has provided new talent insights for executives and managers. But what Selk says is most noteworthy is how the program has resonated with the vast majority of team members and the impact it has had on company culture. Between 2010 and 2012, IM Flash saw a 20% increase in employees who said they were recognized for continually improving the work they did. And employee surveys show a significant correlation between employees who say they are recognized and those who are engaged. In fact, 96% of employees who feel most recognized also report being most engaged. Concludes Selk: "What you measure and what you recognize says volumes about what you care about as a company… rCubed builds teamwork. We see people working harder. Through rCubed, we encourage employees to reward values- based behaviors and achievements that are really impacting strategic initiatives." IM Flash makes the most technologically advanced flash memory in the world. Based in Lehi, Utah, the semiconductor manufacturer is a joint venture formed by Intel and Micron in 2006. The company prides itself on its innovation and the quality of its 1,600-strong workforce, winning awards from Tech Insights for semiconductor of the year (2011), most innovative memory process (2010, 2011), as well as the 2013 Best of State Award in Manufacturing in Microelectronics (Utah). IM Flash Employee Feedback ADVERTORIAL "It is very easy to use and navigate. I'm glad I have been empowered to recognize my peers with this system. The process flowed smoothly and effortlessly." "Give HR two thumbs up and put them in charge of other software development." "Awesome program…I know almost every member of my team has used this program." "I love our recognition program. It empowers me to thank those that make significant contributions to their team, the company and their department." "…the ability of rCubed to broaden our sphere of influence, right former wrongs, and impact the intrinsic motivations of our teams is invaluable to managers and ICs alike."