Winning the carrot
Say goodbye to the stick and carrot approach and introduce valuable rewards that can incentivise team members to perform…
Who doesn’t want to be told they’ve done a good job and as such will be rewarded for their efforts? It seems to be in human nature and finally employers have started to clock on. In fact, a 2017 Incentive Research Foundation and Intellective Group report of 100 UK-based organisations found that over 80% of those firms surveyed now offer non-cash rewards and recognition to employees.
The logic behind offering rewards is simple: staff appear to like it and the business benefits too. A recent National Employee Research Survey discovered that 90% of respondents said employee recognition is important to them, while 72% of employees stated that they would work harder if they were appreciated with a comprehensive staff appreciation program.
The data from the Incentive Research Foundation found that rewards and recognition campaigns can improve productivity, morale and innovation. Yet, it leaves HR with a lot of responsibility: how can they best craft a rewards programme that works for the firm?
Give staff what they want
According to online fashion retailer Boohoo’s Group Rewards and Benefits Manager, Emma Sims, HR needs to actively listen and talk to their staff in order to figure out what they should offer them in terms of their rewards. She tells HR Grapevine: “The problem that we face sometimes is there are so many options out there, so what do you choose, because you literally can’t do everything. Therefore, I think the most important thing is having an open and honest conversation with your employees to understand what it is that drives and motivates them in order to be able to put that into practice.”
Culture fit
While some employees are concerned with salary and flexible working, others are more motivated by team-building opportunities and discounts. Whatever it may be, it is crucial that a company aligns its reward offering with its culture. Amy O'Brien, Head of HR at law firm Tees Law, concurs: “Rewards are a great way to incentivise a team, but they have to be picked and managed carefully to ensure they have the desired impact.
“It goes without saying that people should receive fair and competitive pay for the job that they do, but when we look at further rewards we shouldn’t think that just giving further monetary gifts will serve as full motivation for a team – or create all the behaviours you are looking for. Using rewards can be really effective, when matched to the company culture.”
How businesses are using rewards to incentive their teams:
Charles Bendotti, Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Philip Morris International
“We offer opportunities for everyone to thrive in an inclusive and diverse environment. This includes short- and long-term incentives for our managers and benefits such as health insurance, wellbeing support, flexible working arrangements, retirement plans, life and disability insurance, and many others. Our policy is to pay at or above market median everywhere we do business, ensuring a living wage standard for all employees. Our compensation structures and principles promote equitable treatment of everyone, as evidenced by PMI becoming the first global EQUAL-SALARY certified employer.”
Amy O'Brien, Head of HR at Tees Law
“As a business with over 300 employees and six locations it can be difficult to reward and recognise people across the whole business ongoing throughout the year. So we have found doing smaller rewards within teams and within office locations to be more successful – this might just be a shopping voucher, or a bottle of wine to say thank you but it is up to the Head of Office, which allows freedom in the business and each office culture has a slight nuance which fits the size of the office and people within it.”
Cat Moseley, HR Director at Motorpoint
“We understand how challenging it can be to balance work and life sometimes and so we spoke with our teams and developed our ‘One Big Dream’ scheme last September. It’s proved to be a huge success with the vast majority of the team utilising those hours for everything from school pick-ups and Harvest Festivals through to gym sessions and even dinner with a professional rugby player. Adding value to our employees outside of work is a key part of our employment offer. It’s a unique and versatile benefit that means something special to everyone, every time they use it.”
Rewards for everyone
Charles Bendotti, Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Philip Morris International (PMI) – a multinational cigarette and tobacco manufacturing company – believes offering rewards with appeal for the entire workforce will enable a business to stand out in a competitive field, in order to attract talent, retain and incentivise them.
“In today’s competitive environment and the race for top talent, it’s essential to reward individuals and teams in a way that attracts and motivates talent to deliver against their objectives —measuring both financial performance and strategic initiatives— aligned with the business strategy,” Bendotti enthuses. “Companies must offer opportunities for everyone to thrive in an inclusive and diverse environment, founded on respect, equality and fairness.”
Being genuine
Cat Moseley, HR Director at used car supermarket Motorpoint, points to the importance of being genuine and sincere to people to ensure that employees feel like they are actually making a difference. She believes that this coupled with the addition of rewards makes for a ‘powerful mix’. She concludes: “Reward and recognition are incredibly powerful and essential tools for motivating and engaging a team. I don’t think that they are one in the same, but I do think that they can be equally as powerful.
“To only reward but never take the time to recognise loses all impact. I believe that you can recognise without reward and see incredible results as long as it’s sincere and genuine, but to do both in harmony, and know when it is the right time to do one over the other, or indeed with the other, is the really powerful mix.”
Who doesn’t want to be told they’ve done a good job and as such will be rewarded for their efforts? It seems to be in human nature and finally employers have started to clock on. In fact, a 2017 Incentive Research Foundation and Intellective Group report of 100 UK-based organisations found that over 80% of those firms surveyed now offer non-cash rewards and recognition to employees.
The logic behind offering rewards is simple: staff appear to like it and the business benefits too. A recent National Employee Research Survey discovered that 90% of respondents said employee recognition is important to them, while 72% of employees stated that they would work harder if they were appreciated with a comprehensive staff appreciation program.
The data from the Incentive Research Foundation found that rewards and recognition campaigns can improve productivity, morale and innovation, Yet, it leaves HR with a lot of responsibility: how can they best craft a rewards programme that works for the firm?
Give staff what they want
According to online fashion retailer Boohoo’s Group Rewards and Benefits Manager, Emma Sims, HR needs to actively listen and talk to their staff in order to figure out what they should offer them in terms of their rewards. She tells HR Grapevine: “The problem that we face sometimes is there are so many options out there, so what do you choose, because you literally can’t do everything. Therefore, I think the most important thing is having an open and honest conversation with your employees to understand what it is that drives and motivates them in order to be able to put that into practice.”
Culture fit
While some employees are concerned with salary and flexible working, others are more motivated by team-building opportunities and discounts. Whatever it may be, it is crucial that a company aligns its reward offering with its culture. Amy O'Brien, Head of HR at law firm Tees Law, concurs: “Rewards are a great way to incentivise a team, but they have to be picked and managed carefully to ensure they have the desired impact.
“It goes without saying that people should receive fair and competitive pay for the job that they do, but when we look at further rewards we shouldn’t think that just giving further monetary gifts will serve as full motivation for a team – or create all the behaviours you are looking for. Using rewards can be really effective, when matched to the company culture.”
How businesses are using rewards
to incentive their teams:
Charles Bendotti, Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Philip Morris International
“We offer opportunities for everyone to thrive in an inclusive and diverse environment. This includes short- and long-term incentives for our managers and benefits such as health insurance, wellbeing support, flexible working arrangements, retirement plans, life and disability insurance, and many others. Our policy is to pay at or above market median everywhere we do business, ensuring a living wage standard for all employees. Our compensation structures and principles promote equitable treatment of everyone, as evidenced by PMI becoming the first global EQUAL-SALARY certified employer.”
Amy O'Brien, Head of HR at Tees Law
“As a business with over 300 employees and six locations it can be difficult to reward and recognise people across the whole business ongoing throughout the year. So we have found doing smaller rewards within teams and within office locations to be more successful – this might just be a shopping voucher, or a bottle of wine to say thank you but it is up to the Head of Office, which allows freedom in the business and each office culture has a slight nuance which fits the size of the office and people within it.”
Cat Moseley, HR Director at Motorpoint
“We understand how challenging it can be to balance work and life sometimes and so we spoke with our teams and developed our ‘One Big Dream’ scheme last September. It’s proved to be a huge success with the vast majority of the team utilising those hours for everything from school pick-ups and Harvest Festivals through to gym sessions and even dinner with a professional rugby player. Adding value to our employees outside of work is a key part of our employment offer. It’s a unique and versatile benefit that means something special to everyone, every time they use it.”
Rewards for everyone
Charles Bendotti, Senior Vice President of People & Culture at Philip Morris International (PMI) – a multinational cigarette and tobacco manufacturing company – believes offering rewards with appeal for the entire workforce will enable a business to stand out in a competitive field, in order to attract talent, retain and incentivise them.
“In today’s competitive environment and the race for top talent, it’s essential to reward individuals and teams in a way that attracts and motivates talent to deliver against their objectives —measuring both financial performance and strategic initiatives— aligned with the business strategy,” Bendotti enthuses. “Companies must offer opportunities for everyone to thrive in an inclusive and diverse environment, founded on respect, equality and fairness.”
Being genuine
Cat Moseley, HR Director at used car supermarket Motorpoint, points to the importance of being genuine and sincere to people to ensure that employees feel like they are actually making a difference. She believes that this coupled with the addition of rewards makes for a ‘powerful mix’. She concludes: “Reward and recognition are incredibly powerful and essential tools for motivating and engaging a team. I don’t think that they are one in the same, but I do think that they can be equally as powerful.
“To only reward but never take the time to recognise loses all impact. I believe that you can recognise without reward and see incredible results as long as it’s sincere and genuine, but to do both in harmony, and know when it is the right time to do one over the other, or indeed with the other, is the really powerful mix.”
