Tri-Cities Tech Business Update
Corporations flock to Stepframe to reward employees
A Richland firm's online tool that rewards employees for their accomplishments is becoming a hot commodity for Fortune 500 companies. Stepframe Interactive, Inc. recently won a $1.3-million contract with Safeco Insurance to provide a web-based employee reward and recognition tool. Stepframe is negotiating contracts for similar web portals for Starbucks Corp. and Expedia.com. Safeco's more than 7,500 employees nationwide will be able to specify the rewards they prefer, such as money or gifts, as well as honoring their colleagues. American Express, which is partnering with Stepframe on this project, sends employees Safeco-customized gift cards. Originally developed for T Mobile's 40,000 employees, the Stepframe web tool won a national human resources award in 2005 and has been proven to improve employee satisfaction and retention rates. Stepframe expects the Expedia.com program to be ready this year, with the Starbucks rollout in 2009 after the web interface is translated into 14 languages. Contact Chad Langford at (509) 943-9500 ext. 201.
