Bill Myers

Determining Lettering Criteria For Your School

September 4, 2019 By Bill Myers

As a coach, sponsor, administrator or principal – you are often tasked with determining what criteria qualifies a student for lettering in a sport or program. There are many considerations for this determination, and we’re here to help.

There are three things you look to accomplish by offering letter jackets to your students:

Reward & recognize students for their achievements and contributions to the school.
Encourage students who are not yet participating in a program to join.
Incentivize current program participants to excel & meet goals.

Understanding the purpose of letter jackets, how do you decide what qualifies a student to letter? Does everyone in the program receive a jacket?

Lettering criteria is important to a school and its programs. Lettering requirements need to be an accomplishment that is earned and that a student feels proud to have achieved. Making the jacket too obtainable can demean the hard work of high-achieving students and discourage participants from striving toward growth.

Simply put, lettering criteria sets the bar for student expectations and performance. Create standards for your students with your recognition policies.

So, what are you trying to accomplish in your program? This is how you determine your lettering qualifications.

Participation? Set lettering criteria for all Juniors in the program.
Academic excellence? Make a grade point average requirement part of lettering.
Performance? Choose qualifiers and benchmarks for performance you’d like to see in your students.
Commitment? Choose a number of years of participation as a requirement for lettering.
Well-roundedness? Set goals for cross-program participation.

The bottom line is that the criteria for lettering in your program is dependent upon the goals you would like to achieve. Setting a criterion for lettering is important to assign value and even the playing field for hard working and high achieving students.

Shape your student body by setting a standard of excellence in the areas you want to see your school succeed and excel.

Lettering In Real Life

Here are some examples of what other schools are implementing in their programs.

Academics

GPA of 3.5 or ACT Scores of 26 or higher.
1 honors class, 1 AP class and a minimum GPA of 3.5
National Merit Scholars
Literary Rally participation

Sports

Number of quarters, innings, or minutes played
# of points earned at an event
Length of time on the team
# of sports programs participated in

Theater

Presentation in 3-5 productions
Participation in the theater program for at least 2 years

Band

Participation in both marching and concert band.
Representing the school in a state or district honor band.
Becoming 1^st chair of a band section.

Other Clubs

Number of service hours performed.
Participation in the activity at a competitive level.
Holding an office in the club or program.

Do you play a role in your school or program’s lettering process? The Recognition Company would love to help you navigate the qualifications for your students. Whether lettering is new to your program or you’d like to re-evaluate your goals in an existing one, let’s brainstorm together.

(866) 924-2778
orders@therecognitionco.com

What Can Letter Jackets Do For Your School?

January 22, 2019 By Bill Myers

The tradition of letterman jackets began on the Harvard baseball team in the nineteenth century as students that performed exceptionally well were recognized by wearing a uniform with an “H” embroidered on the back. Styles and times have changed. What was once a thick, knitted pullover has now transitioned to a wool button-down jacket with patches and other customization. But the value held in the concept of lettering transcends fashion trends and university sports programs.

Bestowing a tangible symbol of recognition on Harvard baseball players who performed with excellence was motivating, and the same is true today.

Beyond Baseball

Acknowledging success and good performance in high school students is an encouraging and effective practice. At The Recognition Company, we want to help schools and businesses create environments that breed acknowledgment of hard work and accomplishment. For this type of culture to be manifested, gestures of acknowledgement must extend beyond stereotypical sports recognition.

Letter jackets are commonly awarded within major sports programs at a school- such as football, baseball or basketball. It is common for a student to become eligible for a jacket once reaching a varsity status in their sport of choice. However, students of different interests and talents excel in a large variety of competitive avenues.

In recent years, the state of New Jersey took a large step by instituting a law making any group that competes against another school eligible for letters.

Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who co-sponsored the bill, said in a news release, “Varsity letters signify sacrifice and accomplishment. They should not be limited to athletes in traditional sports. Awarding a varsity letter to everyone who distinguishes themselves and their high school in interscholastic competitions is only fair… It is time to include other competitive activities that require the same level of commitment, dedication, teamwork, and school pride.”

What Can Letter Jackets Do For Your Program?

We have to agree that hard work should be acknowledged for all students. Such encouragement develops character and an environment of motivation. that could lead to a shift in overall culture in your school.

This is important for the leadership of a school to consider. Whether you are an athletic director, principal, club sponsor or dedicated teacher- small gestures like these can have a large impact on your student body.

Diversifying acknowledgement builds up a new group of students, but also creates unity by communicating to students of different interests and social groups that talent and excellent work are valuable in a variety of fields. Not just a selected few.

A student body’s perspective and atmosphere can be driven from the top. If you are a leader at a school, consider implementing new processes for rewarding students across the board as a mechanism for increasing the school’s overall health.

“A varsity letter is a source of pride, earned through tireless effort, fierce determination, and unwavering commitment. By opening the opportunity for a letter to more students, schools are strengthened and student outcomes are enhanced. Extracurricular activities are an integral part of education. The benefits of competing with schoolmates against peers from other schools – on the playing field or in the auditorium – cannot be overstated.” -Assemblyman Parker Space of New Jersey

The Recognition Co makes it seamless to institute the letterman jacket process at your school. We provide the catalogs, take the orders, and keep all order records for your students to make it as easy as possible on your school staff. You can browse letter jacket styles and ask for more information at therecognitionco.com, (866) 924-2778 or orders@therecognitionco.com

How to Engage Your Employees During the Holidays

December 7, 2018 By Bill Myers

The holiday season brings with it so much joy, merriment, and goodwill. From gift-getting to gift-giving to spending extra time with loved ones to taking more time to relax, there are so many good things about the holidays. For so many, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

For businesses? Maybe not so much. Keeping employees fully engaged and committed during the holiday season can be challenging, to say the least. With heavier workloads due to coworkers taking time off, distracted employees, unpredictable customer demands, and increased pressure to meet year-end goals, keeping employees engaged towards the end of the year can seem nearly impossible. Truly, it’s no wonder productivity tends to start slumping in mid-November.

However, keeping your employees engaged during the holiday months is crucial for your bottom line and overall staff satisfaction. Here are a few tips to help keep your employees motivated and finish out the year strong.

1. Reward and recognize great work

Show your employees how much you value their hard work and dedication this holiday season. Writing them a thank-you note or going out of your way to offer words of appreciation and encouragement will help keep them motivated to continue delivering great work, even when it’s difficult to stay focused.

Though verbal recognition is powerful, putting a structured rewards-based employee engagement program in place year-round can also help extend engagement into the holiday season. Be sure to highlight employee accomplishments regularly and consistently reward stellar work.

2. Be festive

Make sure some of that holiday cheer makes it to the office. Add some holiday- or winter-themed decorations. Hold a small secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange. Have an ugly sweater contest. Host a company-wide Christmas bake-off. Don’t ignore the holidays in an attempt to minimize distraction – embrace them to avoid employee resentment and invite a more lighthearted, stress-free atmosphere. It’ll help make your employees happier, more motivated, and more productive.

3. Offer a flexible schedule

During the holiday season, it can be difficult to fill schedules and make sure there are enough employees in the office every day. Offering your employees the extra personal time they need to visit family, plan for the holidays, and just take a break shows them that they are appreciated and gives them the chance to recharge. Your employees will likely be more productive before and after their time off. As for those employees that help fill in gaps while their coworkers are away on vacation, be sure to show gratitude and encourage other employees to do so as well.

4. Communicate year-end goals and holiday plans clearly

Whatever your goals and policies, make sure your employees are aware of them. Inform your employees of expectations early on. Reiterate your holiday scheduling guidelines. Be transparent about company-wide goals, progress, and needs. It’ll help your employees feel more valued and see how their role fits into the big picture. They’ll make better decisions and focus their work on contributing to those goals — just like you want them to!

5. Look Forward to the Future

Don’t wait until the new year starts to set goals — start setting new goals before the year ends. Encourage employees to get involved by suggesting areas that could be improved company-wide, and encourage them to set personal goals as well. Be specific and optimistic when looking forward to the future, and help employees see their individual roles and responsibilities in making the company’s vision a reality. It’ll help your employees get right back into the swing of things once they come back from taking time off.

6. Volunteer at a charity

Embrace what the holiday season is really about. As you give back to the community as a company, your employees will feel a sense of goodness and unity, sure to extend to the workplace. Whether you hold a toy/clothing drive, collect cans for a food drive, or volunteer at your local soup kitchen as a team, giving back is sure to boost morale collectively and individually. Plus, it’ll help put any struggles or stresses into proper perspective.

During these holiday months, think about your employees’ needs and capabilities. Help them feel that their work is meaningful, appreciated, and valued. As leaders, we have a responsibility to inspire our employees to action and productivity — understanding their needs is crucial to be able to do so. Your employees will be grateful for it, and it will show in their overall productivity and engagement!

Custom Watches: A Timeless Recognition Reward

November 8, 2018 By Bill Myers

What comes to mind when you think about traditional corporate and sales awards? I’d be willing to bet that custom watches or timepieces were high on the list. So, why are these products so popular in recognition programs?

Here are 4 main reasons you should consider custom watches in your recognition programs:

Personal

A wide variety of watch brands and styles can be personalized with names, dates and logos to enhance the lasting memory of an employee’s achievement.

In some recognition programs, you can continue to customize an employee’s watch depending on their level of recognition. For example, you could create an “add-a-diamond” program where multi-year achievements could be recognized in one commemorative timepiece.

Functional

In our recent blog, 6 Essential Elements of a Service Award Program, we discussed the importance of choosing a gift that not only has a high perceived value, but is also functional.

A watch is something that is looked at numerous times per day, making it useful and also memorable. Every time an employee checks the time, they will be reminded that they are a valuable asset to their company.

Watches are also an accessory that can be worn regardless of the season!

Traditional

Did you know the first mechanical timepiece dates all the way back to 1275 in England? In the beginning, blacksmiths used various irons only and were mainly concerned with improving functionality. After a few centuries passed, watches began to take on a new style.

In the 16th century, watch makers began to use bronze, brass, silver and other precious metals to distinguish their products, thus creating the culture of luxury and style we appreciate today. Interestingly enough, Swiss reformer John Calvin prohibited the wearing of jewelry, but allowed watches for their functionality. Jewelry makers had to learn a new craft in watch making, thus kickstarting the Swiss watch industry!

Watches have been appreciated for their mechanical intricacy, history, and elegance for centuries, and are still highly valued to this today. You can simply can’t go wrong with this timeless gift.

Desirable

Let’s face it, a good-looking watch turns heads. When a high-performance employee is seen by another worker sporting a nice new watch, it’s bound to get their attention. Having an attainable goal will motivate them to achieve their performance goals.

Many of the most desirable watch brands can be customized, including Tag Heuer, Timex, Bulova, Fossil, Seiko and more.

If you are a sales manager, or human resources specialist, you understand the need to commemorate milestones, anniversaries and other special occasions to encourage and reward your team. Recognition reinforces to the employee that they are an invaluable asset to the company. Positive attitudes of those in the workplace are vital to increased productivity and success of businesses, both large and small.

An elegant, high-quality watch is a special gift they’ll treasure forever. We would love to talk to you about our available options to recognize your team. Call us at 866-924-2778 to talk to one of our staff members today!

Turnkey Recognition Programs: Let Your Employees Choose

October 1, 2018 By Bill Myers

Our last blog, 6 Essential Elements of a Service Award Program, provided essential components that create motivation and show heartfelt appreciation to your employees. We believe that these elements about service awards are also applicable to Sales and Safety awards.

Times change and so have award program. They have evolved to make achieving these recommended elements easy for companies to offer. As a reminder, awards should:

Be functional
Potentially suitable for use at home
Have recurring value
A high perceived value
And focus on specific recognition levels – meaning the award should match what the person is being awarded for!

Let Your Employee Choose

This is a tall order to fill. How can we create a type of award that would meet all of these criteria for varying individuals with different tastes? Today recognition programs have been designed to do just that…meet the individual’s taste by letting them choose.

Now you can create a program for your company that provides useful, useable, and desired gifts for your employees that:

Keep your company top of mind with logos added to the items chosen
Provide varying levels of merchandise values for varying levels of service or performance.
Are created especially for your company with materials created for you employees to choose from.
And service to handle all of the gift packaging and delivery.

HR Manager Benefits

Human resource managers have a huge role in every company. They are tasked with helping operating managers recruit, onboard, pay, train, and manage benefits for all of the company’s employees. It is logical that they would support the operating managers in employee recognition also.

The HR manager is faced with logistics challenges with the varying needs of different departments and the desire to truly please the employees with the award. It may feel daunting.

It may also be intimidating to imagine setting up a whole turnkey program. However, the impact to your department team will be much less in the long run and with services such as ours, we can make the program set-up as painless as possible.

Take a Peak

Just to spark your imagination, see a few pictures of the items one of our customers chose for their organization:

Jewelry is a very popular choice among employees. There are a large number of selections at different prices allowing employers to have a jewelry selection at every level of their program.

An example of the items one customer chose for their 10 year service awards. Versatile and fun for an outdoor person.

Beautiful timepieces for a 40 year award. Yes, people still stay at one company for 40 years! Or maybe they have a 40 years of safe practices and no safety incidents on their record.

And charming home décor that the whole family can enjoy make for a wonderful 20 year recognition or a Top Salesperson of the Year Award.

These are just a few ideas of rich catalogues that could be created for your company and provide an organized, simple, but unique program to recognize all levels of performance and service.

There are many programs to choose from. For more information about our Choice Program, click here or call us at (866) 924-2778.

6 Essential Elements of a Service Award Program

September 4, 2018 By Bill Myers

Everyone desires to be recognized for their hard work. A good pat on the back for a job well done can show employees that they are truly appreciated. People thrive on recognition, and it actually can have a positive impact on a person’s self-esteem.

That’s where a Service Award Program comes into play. When structured correctly, this system will not only make employees happier, but it will actually increase their motivation to work harder. This reaction, in turn, benefits both the employee and the business by improving productivity.

Is A Service Award Program Right for My Business?

Personnel Journal published a survey that found that larger businesses have more budgeted for recognition and awards programs than smaller companies. However, recognition programs are an important way for businesses, no matter the size, to show that employees are valued. Even for small businesses, awards are crucial in hiring future employees and increasing productivity in the workplace.

But how do you know what type of award will provide a return on your investment, yet satisfy the employee at the same time? And, how should this award system be structured? Let’s look at the 6 essential elements of a Service Award Program:

1) The Award Should Be Functional

It should serve a purpose, even if it isn’t a practical use. And, preferably, the award should not be something that the employee would normally buy for themselves. If the award is something that has no functionality, the value decreases. If it is something that the employee could purchase whenever they want, this also decreases the value.

2) The Award Should Be Suitable for Use in the Home

When the award can be used in the home, it naturally includes the employee’s family. For the average person, most of the time that they are away from their families, they are at work. Thus, the majority of the time spent away from the job is at home with the family. The goal should be to unite the employee, employer, the home, and the family through the award. Everyone is happy and it brings a personal aspect to the award that is invaluable.

3) The Award Should Have Recurring Value

The award should be memorable. Whenever the award is used, or noticed by a friend or family member of the employee, the original moment of receiving the recognition is remembered and valued. It needs to be something that brings pride to the employee, provoking thankfulness to the company.

4) The Award Should Have a High Perceived Value

The award should be something that is not easily found in a local retail store. No matter how expensive, no award will ever equal the value an employee perceives they are to the company. However, if it is thoughtful and matched with recognition, the perception of the awards value is much higher to the employee.

5) The Award Focuses the Attention on a Specific Recognition Level

If an employee received a selection brochure of multiple rewards for different levels, they naturally desire the awards of greater value. This could lead to disappointment over something that is supposed to be a positive. Therefore, a single sheet selection system that focuses on their specific level of service is better for the employee. They can focus on what options they have to choose from rather than what they can’t have.

6) The Award Must Be Something the Employee Wants

If the award is personally meaningful and desired by the employee, then it increases motivation all the more. Finding useful items or adding a monogram to enhance its’ unique value, increases the employees desire for the item. This could be a plaque that mentions the employees name and their accomplishment, or it may just be a watch with their initials engraved on the back. Both add personalization, meaning, and therefore, desire for the item.

A properly designed award program should bring benefits to the company, the employer, the employee, and the employee’s family. Recognition reinforces to the employee that they are an invaluable asset to the company. Positive attitudes of those in the workplace are vital to increased productivity and success of businesses, both large and small. A Service Award Program does not have to involve high cost, but rather focus on showing the employee appreciation and public recognition through a reward that they will find special.

We would love to talk to you about our available options to recognize your team. Call us at 866-924-2778 to talk to one of our staff members today!