The Ice Bucket Challenge and Employee Engagement

The ALS
Ice Bucket
Challenge
has become
the latest viral sensation.

While the original concept was
to give $100 to ALS or face a
frozen bucket, many people are
getting soaked and donating anyway,
which has resulted in hundreds
of thousands of videos shared
and over $79 million*donated
to deserving nonprofits who
serve those with this disease.
*As of 8/25/14 http://www.alsa.org/fight-als/ice-bucket-challenge.html

But how is
employee
engagement
like an
ice bucket
over
the head?

The need to be recognized.
Most people would agree that making a
donation to medical research is a
worthwhile thing to do, although many
rarely follow through on it. When that
check-writing (behavior) is shared with an
entire social network (recognition), people
are more likely to participate.

The need to be recognized.
Most people would agree that making a
donation to medical research is a
worthwhile thing to do, although many
rarely follow through on it. When that
check-writing (behavior) is shared with an
entire social network (recognition), people
are more likely to participate.
.The Takeaway: People will change their
behavior in astonishing ways, given
the right motivation and the chance
to be recognized publically for it.

Desire to make a difference.
Most people want to make the world
a better place. The secret behind this
viral campaign is also the key to a
well-planned engagement program.
When you make it appealing and
simple enough, people will behave
the way you want them to.

Most people want to make the world
a better place. The secret behind this
viral campaign is also the key to a
well-planned engagement program.
When you make it appealing and
simple enough, people will behave
the way you want them to.
The Takeaway: Tap into this
desire and your employees will
accomplish amazing things.
Recognize them for it and these
behaviors will become ingrained in
your organization’s culture.

Connection to social.
Public recognition
among social networks
is a big part of the
ice bucket challenge’s
appeal. The lure of
being publically recognized can have the same
power for your employees, too.

Connection to social.
Public recognition
among social networks
is a big part of the
ice bucket challenge’s
appeal. The lure of
being publically recognized can have the same
power for your employees, too.
The Takeaway: Give employees a recognition
platform that integrates what people love about
social media with the ability to recognize hard
work or achievement of a goal in front of their
peers and leaders.

Leading the way.
Images of
celebrities
and public
figures
drenching themselves has been another part
of the challenge’s appeal. Similarly, leaders of
your organization should set the standard for
recognition by being active participants.

Leading the way.
Images of
celebrities
and public
figures
drenching themselves has been another part
of the challenge’s appeal. Similarly, leaders of
your organization should set the standard for
recognition by being active participants.
The Takeaway: When employees see
their leaders get excited about an initiative, they
are more likely to get on board… quickly!

2
1
THE COLD, HARD TRUTH ABOUT THE
ALS #IceBucketChallenge
Tim Houlihan, Vice President, Reward Systems Group
BI WORLDWIDE
BIWORLDWIDE.com
©BI WORLDWIDE™ 2014 | Proprietary & Confidential
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has become the latest viral sensation, arriving
with perfect timing at the end of a long summer, when boredom is so rampant
that even a brain freeze starts to seem like a good idea.
Of course, it’s all for a good cause — to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS), the neurodegenerative disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease. While the original concept was to give $100 to ALS or face the frozen
bucket, many people are getting soaked and donating anyway, which has
resulted in hundreds of thousands of videos shared across social media sites.
So far, over $79 million* has been donated to deserving nonprofits who serve
those with this disease, which is particularly good news to me, as one of my
brothers suffers from ALS.
How is employee engagement
like an ice bucket over the head?
When this many people engage in an uncharacteristic behavior, we get very
interested. Because we’re in the business of studying the science of human
behavior, all of us at BI WORLDWIDE have been following the ALS Ice Bucket
Challenge phenomenon very closely. Our hallway and lunchroom conversations
have tended toward wondering what, if anything, this viral craze has proven
about human behavior. There are a few universal truths that seem to apply,
especially as they relate to our customers and to the business of employee
engagement and recognition.
Here’s what we’re noticing:
Need to be recognized.
Writing a check for $100 for medical research is something everyone
would probably say is a worthwhile thing to do, although most people don’t
get around to actually following through on this good intention very often.
But when that check-writing (behavior) is tied to the chance to show everyone
in your social network how brave, altruistic and trendy you are (recognition),
then people, in droves, will change their behavior and do something truly out
of the ordinary.
Takeaway: People will change their behavior in astonishing ways, given the
right motivation and the chance to be recognized publically for it.
At their heart, most people would like to help make the world a better place.
And at your organization, most people want to do a good job. The secret
behind this viral campaign is also the secret behind a well-planned
engagement program – when you make it appealing enough, and simple
enough, people will behave the way you want them to. Each time one of your
employees is recognized for a job well done or by demonstrating one of your
corporate values, it becomes an example of exemplary behavior that is likely
to be repeated.
Learn how
the Ice
Bucket
Challenge
applies
to your
employee
recognition
program by
downloading our article now.

BI WORLDWIDE uses the
principles of behavioral economics
to produce measurable results for
our clients by driving and sustaining
engagement with their employees,
channel partners and customers.

The Ice Bucket Challenge and Employee Engagement

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The Ice Bucket Challenge and Employee Engagement