The idea of baseball cards featuring star employees of major companies seems like a fun promotional concept, but could it actually work in practice? In this article, I’ll explore the viability and logistics of implementing a “star company baseball cards” program.
First, some key details about the proposed concept. Each baseball card would feature an employee who demonstrates exceptional performance, leadership qualities, innovative thinking, client satisfaction scores, community involvement, or other attributes that represent the company’s values and culture. Only a select number of “all-stars” would be chosen each year to avoid watering down the prestige.
Cards would include things like the employee’s name, title, years of service, accomplishments, and maybe a short profile. Photographs would showcase the employee at work or engaged in activities representing the company brand. On the back could be career stats like awards, quantitative metrics of their contributions, or testimonials from colleagues and clients.
While modeled after traditional baseball cards, company cards wouldn’t involve any sports or betting elements. The intent would be recognition and raising the profile of top performers, not gamification. Done tastefully, it could acknowledge excellence, build morale, and humanize a brand at the same time.
But how practical is the idea? Here are a few considerations:
Cost would be a major factor. Designing, printing, and distributing quality cards across a large workforce wouldn’t come cheaply. Even at basic production levels, hundreds or thousands of dollars could be spent annually depending on company size. Ongoing financial commitment would be required to sustain the program.
Logistically, choosing award winners could prove difficult. Objective metrics don’t exist for many roles, so subjective choices might undermine credibility or spark favoritism claims. Developing transparent nomination and selection processes would require careful planning and oversight.
Privacy regulations could complicate publicizing personal details and photographs of employees without consent. Obtaining meaningful approvals across global workforces adds bureaucratic hurdles. Legal vetting would need to ensure compliance with varying employment laws.
Storing, displaying, and properly retiring old cards as employees come and go would necessitate dedicated staff administration. Physical or digital inventories require ongoing management, archiving, and updates each cycle. Electronic solutions could reduce some overhead but not eliminate it.
Not all employees may welcome the recognition or attention. Introverted personalities in particular may find the honor uncomfortable despite deserving it. The more public and widespread distribution is, the greater reluctance there may be from some stars.
Companies tend to utilize existing digital platforms already in place for staff engagement and acknowledgment. Pushing offline printed paraphernalia competes for limited communication/promotion budgets and shelf space against other proven initiatives. Incremental benefit must outweigh added costs.
Most concerning of all is that baseball cards culturally convey a sense of frivolity or childhood nostalgia at odds with professional business environments. Critics could argue they reduce hard work down to superficial game pieces or undermine workplace seriousness. Defenders counter recognition should be both meaningful and memorable.
So while star company baseball cards offer potential upside for humanizing brands, connecting with customers, and boosting employee enthusiasm – obstacles around practical execution are substantial. Costs, legalities, logistics, and perception issues present real challenges. Simpler digital or certificate recognitions may better suit corporate cultures for now. If interest persists though, creative workarounds or scaled down pilots could test feasibility.
Baseball cards starring star employees is an intriguing employee engagement notion with branding applications. But numerous considerations around finances, operations, privacy, and professionalism make widespread physical implementation doubtful in the immediate future. With refinement, the concept deserves some exploration – but recognition programs are better served focusing first on digital platforms already established within most firms. The upsides of baseball cards may not outweigh present downsides for widespread corporate use just yet.
